Bit By Bit
by SkyeWhite
Summary: A series of drabbles or oneshots involving Raku and Chitoge. Setting may be random or connected to the latest chapters. Upcoming Chapter 20 will be their wedding. Raku x Chitoge
1. Cake

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

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"Darling? Something bothering you?" Chitoge waves her hand in front of a spaced out Raku. They were currently seated at a cake shop, waiting for their orders.

"No-nothing. Err, Chitoge? What would you want for your birthday? I mean, being a Mafia princess and all, you already have everything you could possibly want so, is there anything in particular that I could still get you?" Raku says, very out of the blue. Truthfully though, the boy knew that the birthday gift question was just a diversion tactic.

"Do you have a fever, bean sprout? Why'd you ask that all of a sudden?" Chitoge checks Raku's temperature while trying to hide her light blush.

"Because you're my girlfriend, and no, I'm not sick. Thanks for checking though, darling." He grabs her hand and smiles at her, grateful that she was genuinely concerned for his well being.

"R-right," she stutters, her blush now becoming very much evident on her fair colored face. Chitoge noticed that recently, Raku would omit the term 'pretend' whenever he called her girlfriend. Unlike before. Though it wasn't like she didn't fancy it. It was just a bit too elating sometimes is all.

Their relationship was still pretty much pretending. At least, on his part, or so she thinks.

"Here's your cake, master, mistress," the maid of the cafe set down two plates of cake on their table along with two glasses of milk. Effectively breaking the awkward silence between the two teens. They both thanked the maid as she left.

"Itadakimasu!" They say cheerfully as both of them delve into the expensive slices of cake. Oh the tooth tingling sweetness of red velvet and the mouth numbing sourness of blueberry cheesecake. Heaven on a plate.

"Here, honey, say ahh," Raku offers Chitoge as he hovers a piece of red velvet near her mouth with his fork. "It's the best in town, I promise," he smiles at her and it took all her willpower not to melt from the sweetness of that smile. Who needs cake when you have a Raku Ichijou right in front of you. She swears that she doesn't feel the one-sidedness of of this pretend relationship anymore. He's being almost uncharacteristically sweet!

She calms herself as she bites the piece of cake, "It's good, thank you," she says to him. Genuinely impressed by the taste. She drinks from her glass of milk to hide her blush, again. She finds it weird when she sees him smiling at her, more like smirking, in her peripheral vision.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She asks him, raising an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to give me a piece of yours, darling? It's only fair." He smirks at her. Very annoyingly so.

Since when did he become such a tease? One of these days, Raku will be the death of her. Defeated, more like elated, she copies his actions and has him eat a piece of cake from her fork as well.

An indirect kiss. Twice now. Get a hold of yourself, Chitoge.

"There. Happy?" She chides at him.

"Happy. It's really good too. Thank you, sweetheart." They continue eating in silence. Raku, seemingly contented with the bashful look on Chitoge's face.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

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 **A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it. Requests for the following chapters are welcome. :)


	2. Mine

**Disclaimer:** I do not own ONS or any of the characters in this story.

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"What would you like me to call you? Sweetheart? Darling? Honey?" He holds her hand as they walk through the park. Not caring at all the Chitoge is blushing madly because of this gesture of affection.

"Uh-err. Whatever you want. Are you sure you're not sick?" Chitoge stops in her tracks and looks at him worriedly.

"I'm not sick, sweetheart. I swear," he reassured her, looking very amused at her reactions to his teasing. She looked absolutely enticing whenever she had that embarrassed look on her face.

So enticing that he suddenly noticed all the other guys checking out his girlfriend. Very suddenly, he wrapped his arm around Chitoge's shoulder and all but crushed her in a hug. Her face very much nestled on his chest.

"R-raku! What are y-you d-d-doing?" She hides her face in her hands as she fails to put some space between them while trying to hide her crimson face. Though the stutters probably gave her away.

"I don't like it when other guys look at my princess like she's for sale," he voices out loud. Staring down the other guys one by one. "She's mine. I'd tell you to find your own but I know you'll never be able to find anyone else like her or anyone better. So screw off before I set the Yakuza on you."

Chitoge's head whipped up halfway through Raku's speech. Her face must have looked as red as an apple but she didn't care. She looked at him in awe. With butterflies fluttering in her stomach. A fury of elation and gratefulness bubbling through her. Her heart might've even skipped a beat if she was paying attention to it before it had soared into the sky. She was shuddering with pure ecstasy. She smiled. The kind of smile that was reserved only for him.

Raku looks at her with a shy grin. Tilting his head a bit, an act of boyishness he rarely displayed. He looks into her eyes and he wishes they could stay in that moment forever. Because none of this felt like pretending at all.

"You ready to go watch the movie, sweetheart?"

"Mhm," she nods at him. Quickly breaking eye contacts as she looks away. "Let's go!" She leaps toward the busy streets, her aura brimming with delight, a grinning Raku in tow. That day, they held hands for who knows how long.

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 **A/N:** This is a series or compilation of Raku x Chitoge fics so the chapters might not always be interconnected. Thanks for reading. AU suggestions/requests would be really awesome and helpful. :)


	3. Ankle

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

 **A/N:** Raku's kinda OOC in this one so you can skip it for that reason, if you like. :)

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"Finally!" Chitoge slumps down on her desk in exhaustion. The last class of the last school day of the week has come to an end and the students couldn't have wished for anything more. Specially in the last five minutes of English Literature.

"TGIF! Let's go out and sing at the karaoke, guys! Come on! Lift those somber spirits of yours!" Shuu announced very animatedly. "Who's with me?"

"I am!" Marika and Tsugumi said simultaneously.

"I'm definitely in!" Chitoge comes back to life.

"I'm in," Raku follows.

"M-me too!" Onodera says shyly. Ruri raises her hand slowly for confirmation.

"Alright then, let's go! Before all the good spots get taken," Shuu opens the door for all the girls. All of whom walk out excitedly. Some a bit nervous. Some just plain bored.

"Race ya!" Tsugumi says to Marika. "You're on!" The other girl replies.

"I wanna join too!" Chitoge's not so graceful side kicks in as she joins the race.

The boys, and remaining girls sigh at their friend's childish but endearing impulses to run 20 blocks to the nearest karaoke machine. High school wouldn't last forever, so they'd enjoy these moments while they still can. Some more than others.

The remaining few speed walk their way through the hallways, outside the school, and just in front of the gate. Just in time to see Marika and Tsugumi turn out of sight and Chitoge trip on the gate mechanism and fall on all fours. A look of pain contorting her smile.

"Chitoge!" Raku runs to her like a night in shining armor. Late, but still useful. "Where does it hurt? Let me see?" He drops down right beside her and helps her sit up. All while never breaking eye contact and unknowingly proving to everyone just how much he cared for his girlfriend. Or fake girlfriend, if you prefer to continue pretending.

"Ouch!" Chitoge winces as she tries to move her foot. The ankle was already swollen and starting to take on a purplish hue, much to her dismay. Her knees were a bit banged up and her hands were covered in dirt.

"Don't move, darling. That's gonna need some ice," he instructs her, carefully positioning her more comfortably.

"Chitoge-chan! Are you okay?" Shuu finally catches up, along with Onodera who was short on breath and a poker faced Ruri.

"Chitoge-chan, how can we help?" Onodera asks, in the middle of pants. That was a long run.

Chitoge suddenly wondered why the boy in front of her wasn't panting like the rest of her friends. Adrenaline rush, maybe? Because of her? He was that worried? The thought made her blush. Even more so when she felt him massaging the area around the swollen ankle to alleviate the pain a bit.

"I-I think I'll just go home to get this treated. Sorry for keeping you guys, and thanks for offering to help," she smiles at all of them, unable to hide the wince when she tried to stand up.

"That's too bad. But are you sure you can go gone alone in that state?" Shuu asks her.

"Here, darling, get on my back. I'll take you home. I am your boyfriend, after all." Raku puts his coat around her shoulders and kneels, with his back to her. Making her heart beat out of her chest. Butterflies seizing her stomach once again.

"You don't have to, darling!" she stutters a bit, "I can walk just fine!" She falls back down with her first step, only to be held upright by Onodera.

"Chitoge-chan, maybe you should listen to Raku. You did almost just fall," she suggested nervously.

"If you don't get on, I'll carry you over my shoulders so will you just please get on? That ankle is just going to get worse if you keep being stubborn," Raku demands. He was starting to stand up when he felt Chitoge's weight press onto his back.

"Fine," she said begrudgingly. "But you better not get any perverted thoughts about this, bean sprout!" In reality, she was afraid he'd feel how hard her heart was beating.

"Shuu, Onodera, Ruri, you guys go ahead. We're gonna go home. Sorry for keeping you guys," Raku apologized while steadying Chitoge on his back. Her arms loosely draped around his neck, legs firmly held in place at his sides by his arms.

"Okay then. Have a safe walk home, you two," Shuu offers.

"Be safe," Onodera said with a concerned voice. Ruri just nodded.

"Bye," they all say simultaneously as they walked away from each other.

Raku immediately starts walking in the direction of his house. A crimson colored Chitoge on his back.

"Bean sprout, why are we going to your house?" Chitoge asked nervously.

"We need to get some ice on that ankle asap, and mine's closer," Raku answered, picking up the pace.

"O-okay," Chitoge relaxes into him. Not caring anymore about how much body contact they're having or if he's hearing her heart beat out of her chest or the heat coming from her face. No, she's gonna treasure this moment for all it's worth.

Raku only hums in reply, readjusting his grip on her to make it more comfortable for the both of them. Too comfortable, apparently. A few minutes in and he could already feel Chitoge's grip loosen and relax around his neck. Going limp just as she fully fell asleep. He didn't complain though, he did technically ask for this, and having a gorgeous girl sleeping on your back, albeit with a swollen ankle, isn't exactly such a bad thing. No, not at all.

He hurriedly brought her up to his room and gently laid her down on the bed. He ran back down and asked the maid for an ice wrap. The ankle really did need immediate attention so it was the right call to go to his house instead.

Once he had the ice pack wrapped around Chitoge's ankle, he got out their first aid kit and started cleaning her knees as gently as possible. He wiped the dirt off of her hands and dabbed off the sweat on her forehead. He let her sleep in peace right after, the cool wind of the air conditioner bringing her deeper into slumber.

Meanwhile, Raku was seated on the bedside chair, cleaning his locket while watching over her. Albeit unconsciously as his gaze hovered to Chitoge's sleeping figure every so often. He wondered why he felt so strangely protective of her in that moment. It wasn't really weird, it was just a bit odd.

He stays at her side, entertaining himself with whatever was within arm's reach. His phone, a book, a pen, a pen and a notebook, his locket. But he got bored of all of them eventually. Chitoge must be really tired to sleep this long. In his room too, that was a first. Claude would kill him for this, most probably.

A few hours later, Chitoge wakes up from what must have been one of the best naps of her life. Granted, she didn't really have much of those that often. The room was cold, but she felt just warm enough, thanks to the blanket draped over her. Her eyes flutter open to Raku, slumped down on his study desk, pen hanging from his mouth. She blushes a bit when she remembers what happened and simultaneously realizes where she was.

"Have a nice nap, darling? Ankle feel any better?" He says as he sees her awake, walking over to check on her ankle.

"Y-yeah! It feels a lot better. Hardly feel a thing," she tells him determinedly, smiling as he looks at her face.

"That's good. Hungry? I could have the maid cook something up for us. What would you like?"

"Thanks but, I think I'll just go home, I've intruded enough as it is. And-" Chitoge kept flailing her arms about in an effort to convince the purple haired boy.

"Geez, Chitoge. You're my girlfriend. Nothing you do is an intrusion," Raku says nonchalantly. "A-at least, not anymore," he adds after realizing how weird it was for him to say that when they were only supposedly fake dating. He scratches the back of his head and smiles at her sheepishly.

"Err, s-still though. It's late and I should get going, don't you think?" She reasons some more, the light blush on her face getting darker by the second.

"Well, if you really want to-"

"N-no! I-i want to, I-uh-I just meant that it would be unbecoming of me to worry everyone at home. It is a weekday after all, I'm normally at home by this hour," she clarifies quickly.

"Oh. Well then, I'll take you home. No complaining. You might be feeling better, but that doesn't mean you can put pressure on your ankle now. Get on my back. I'll have the driver drive us to your house. Just to be safe," Raku kneels on one knee with his back to her once again.

"Fine," the blonde mutters as she gets on his back once more. There it goes again, her heart soaring into the sky. Fantastic. "Thank you for taking care of me today, bean sprout."

"You're welcome, gorilla," he replies, earning himself a semi-playful smack on the back. It kinda hurt.

 _Fake, such an accessory word to their relationship._

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 **A/N:** This took a while. Healthy criticism is most welcome. Thanks for reading. Hope to update again soon.


	4. Ramen

"Come on, Chitoge. Stop messing with me. It's not funny, not one bit," Raku's fists balled tightly at his sides, teeth gnashing with anger at himself for not being a good enough boyfriend. Heck, he wasn't even a good enough friend.

"I should've gone with you. I shouldn't have let you go there alone. It was stupid of me to. You wouldn't be in this state now if I had."

She didn't reply. What else would he expect from a patient in a coma? As strong as Chitoge is, she's still human. She could still get hurt, and that she was. Badly. Damn those stupid assassin clans from Shinjuku. Damn them for hurting his princess.

"You need to wake up. I can't do this without you, Chitoge."

"What can't you do without me, bean sprout?" The blonde girl's eyes slowly flutter open, struggling to adjust to the bright lights of the hospital room.

Raku's head whipped up in well, surprise. They stare at each other for a good minute before anything really sank into Raku's head.

"You're awake!"

"No, you're just dreaming of course I'm awake, idiot! My head hurts, what happened?" She counters sarcastically, tilting her head sidewards and staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"EHH? You don't remember anything? At all?" Raku exasperates. "I don't know if that's good or bad, I'll go call your doctor," the dark purple haired boy starts walking towards the door, a troubled look on his face.

"I remember what you said though," Chitoge adds, effectively making Raku freeze by the door.

"W-what? I didn't say anything! You must be imagining things," the boy reasons nervously, flailing his arms all over in a futile effort to deny said truth.

A small chuckle escapes her lips and nearly made Raku's entire being melt.

"You're not a very good liar, Darling," she teases him, her lips curving upwards, knowing full well that he really did say something. And letting him know that she was glad he said it.

And it catches him off guard, that smile. So much so that he doesn't realize that he's been staring at her for a while now, quite obviously starstruck.

"Bean sprout?"

He's snapped out of his trance at the sound of her voice. His nickname echoing through his mind. And it hits him all over again, he really is in love with her. And he really can't do any of this without her. Not anymore.

He can't deal with the Yakuza, or the Mafia, or school, or even live his life like they never met. Not when she's inched her way into his heart, something he hadn't really expected. But she was welcome all the same. Love sure was complicated.

"I guess I'm not," he finally answers her, looking away to hide his blush.

"Hm? Raku, I want ramen, go buy me some!"

He sighs before chuckling to himself, earning him a bewildered look from his girlfriend. She really needs to learn how to read the situation better.

"Ramen, of course. Anything for you, Darling," he winks at her before leaving the room.

Though it probably wasn't such a good idea to leave someone alone when they've just woken up from a coma.


	5. Blues

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

"My son, asking me for hand to hand combat lessons, what spurred this on, Raku?" Said the Yakuza boss, an amused and curious look on his face.

"For protection," he answered.

"Really? Are the bodyguards I assign to you not enough?"

"Not my protection. Chitoge's," for some reason he can't look his father in the eye at the mention of her name, "I know I can't always rely on my or her bodyguards. Not when they're in some ridiculous hiding spot and far far away. No offense to the guys but, I think it would be better if I knew how to fight as well," Raku explains.

"Well now, aren't you all grown up? Alright then, you'll start tomorrow, in the mean time, you should look for some people to spar with," said Raku's father, looking very obviously proud of his son's sudden interest in the ways of their family. The fake relationship was a good idea indeed.

"Thanks, old man," with that, he bows slightly and leaves the room.

Tomorrow huh? That was quick. Even for his father. The old guy must have waited years for him to finally ask about something Yakuza-related. At least he'd hit two bird with one stone on this one. Please his father, and more importantly, protect Chitoge. He'd be damned if anything else happened to her. Not on his watch. Not on anyone's.

"Better go buy some sweets before visiting Chitoge at the hospital," he murmurs to himself as he changes out of his robes. White hoodie, black shorts, sneakers, should be presentable enough. He was just visiting his 'pretend' girlfriend, it wasn't like he was proposing to her with cake or something.

Said Yakuza heir casually walked his way through the town and into the Onodera sweets shop. They had some new cakes on the menu that he'd been dying to try, Chitoge probably would too. If she didn't like it, then all the more for him.

"Welcome! How may we ser - Ichijou-senpai!" Haru greets him. He always was amazed how much she looked like Onodera.

"Hey, Haru, how's it going?"

"Good. The shop's been doing really well too. Are you going to buy some cake for your ojou-sama, Chitoge-chan?" She teased him, making sure to give him a knowing look.

"W-what? How did you - I didn't -" he stuttered, a light tint of pink covering his cheeks.

"The new blueberry flavored ones, right?" Haru added, laughing a bit at the boy's bashful attitude.

"Err, yeah, those." He nods, smiling shyly at her.

"Here you go," Haru hands him the box of delicacies, "that'll be $25," she adds.

"What? Haru, don't I get a discount?" Exclaims the Yakuza heir.

"A discount? Last time I checked, you didn't need one," Haru says a matter-of-factly.

"It was worth a try, anyway, I'll be going. Thanks for these blues!" Raku says as he hands over his payment and waves goodbye. With the city breeze caressing his face, he makes his way to the hospital.

Totsuhara Medical Hospital. Not exactly the best place for a date but hey, the place doesn't really matter when you're with the right person.

What the hell. Since when did he worry so much about their dates? What's more, he's actually going to train in combat - not really something you'd need to become a civil servant - for protection. For Chitoge's protection no less.

"Darling, one day you're going to be the death of me," he says to himself, sighing as he did so. If it meant she would be safe, why not?

Funny how that was the case even before he realized his feelings for her.

He walked straight up to the receptionist who knew right away who he was here for. He's not surprised, he has been visiting her everyday. They gave him his visitor's ID and directed him to the elevator.

He got on one, pressed the button for the fifth floor and let the awkward elevator music carry his thoughts away. He wondered if he had to tell Chitoge about his combat lessons. Of course he would, since it'll definitely collide with some of their dates. Damn it, he hadn't thought that far ahead. How many dates would he miss because of those lessons?

Ding!

The entrance to the fifth floor snapped him back into reality. He quickly stepped out and took a series of semi-complicated turns to get to his destination.

Fifth floor. Aquarius suite. Kirisaki, Chitoge.

Breathe, Raku. You're not here to confess, or propose, or anything of the like, just visiting your 'pretend' girlfriend - turned - best friend, that's all. His three consecutive knocks were answered immediately with an inward swing of the door.

"Ichijou-sama, back again, huh?" Claude greeted him, much to Raku's chagrin. The guy had it out for them, him specifically, but now that he really was in love with Chitoge, he could only sigh at the guy's futile attempts to dig up some dirt on him.

Though Claude still pretty much creeped him out. The guy's weirdly obsessive behavior, OCD even, was something that was either beyond him, when it came to things concerning just him, or something that he could almost totally agree with - when it was about anything concerning a certain blue-eyed blonde.

"Claude-san," he nods at him before continuing to his seat beside Chitoge's bed. She was asleep. Her face very enchantingly peaceful. He breathed out as he sat down, placing the cake at the bedside table. Leave it to Chitoge to be asleep almost whenever he comes to visit.

Maybe what he said when she first woke up creeped him out. She looked happy when she mentioned it though. No reason to think otherwise. His Darling was probably just really bored and decided that sleeping would be her best escape.

He absentmindedly played with her hand that didn't have the IV attached to it. Soft, he thought, as he drew circles on her palm. EHH? What the hell was he doing? This was too damn cheesy. Oh wait, that's right.

"I'm in love with her," he blurts out, reminding himself just how whipped he was. Although he really did hope this wouldn't turn him into some cheesy love-sick boy. The way their relationship was now, all it really needed was some ratification. And a whole lot of confessions.

He hit his head on the bedside as the thought crossed his mind. It didn't matter that he liked her now, not when she might not've liked him back! No, that won't stop him. He'd win her over if it came to it. Just you wait, Chitoge.

But then there's still the matter with Onodera. Damn it. Good thing Marika was out of the equation, or else this'd be a hell of a lot more complicated. The whole choosing thing was driving him crazy.

"Raku?" He feels Chitoge stir up. "Darling? W-w-what were you d-doing with my hand?" She freaks out a bit. "You perverted bean sprout!" Chitoge snatches her hand away and looks at him with a shy and melancholic expression.

"W-hat? Pervert? I was um, it was just y-your hand! I swear! I didn't even notice until now!" He stutters in reply, jumping out of his seat, raising his hands as if to surrender, Claude's gun already at point blank to his head.

"I swear!" He pleads one more time, closing his eyes as he puts his faith in Chitoge. He sighs in relief when he feels the pressure of the gun float away from his head. He opens his eyes slowly, carefully raising his head to look at Chitoge.

"Thank you, honey," he breathes out as he collapses onto the chair once again. That was close.

"You may go, Claude. I'd um, like a moment with my bean spro- err... Raku, I mean." She orders the assassin, putting just enough force in her voice to make him actually go out. And he did, after nodding at Chitoge and giving Raku a death threat via stare. Claude's been lenient on them lately, at least since the transfer was cancelled and her father had talked to him about overdoing some things.

"Are you okay, moyashi?" She inquires, poking at the slumped Raku. "That's what you get for doing weird stuff while I'm asleep," she crosses her arms on her chest and looks to the left to avoid looking at him head on. And also to hide the light blush on her cheeks.

"Weird? How is that- never mind. Aside from being threatened with a gun at point blank by a professional assassin who's always had it out for me, I'm fine, I guess. How are you, darling?"

"Stupid bean sprout," after a beat of silence, she laughs at him, her hand goes up to her face to cover her mouth and her eyes go all soft and wet at the corners. Chitoge finds it amusing how he can still ask about her when he really was just threatened at point black.

Adorable, he thought. Snap out of it, Raku! This is not the time for your heart to jump out of it's chest. "I take it that you're doing good? Since you can laugh at me now," he scratches the back of his head and looks down and away, heat rising to his face.

"You should know, you visit me every day, after all." She teases him, titling her head just enough to catch a glimpse of red on his face.

"R-right. Listen, honey, there's something I need to tell you." It's now or never.

"Hm?"

"I'm going to have hand to hand combat lessons so-"

"What?! Wait, why? To get even with Claude? Wh-"

"Get even with Claude? Of course not! Why wou-"

"Combat? I thought you wanted to be a civil servant?"

"I do want to be a civil servant but-"

"Then what brought this up, because if it's because of the accident then-"

"Let me finish, damn it!" Raku complained, holding her wrists and forcing her to look into his eyes. "I don't want to just learn how to fight, I want to learn how to protect you, okay? Okay, Chitoge?" He reiterated.

"Protect me? Huh, I can take care of myself just fine thank you very much!" She counters.

"That's beside the point. You can't stop me. I'm just letting you know because it wouldn't feel right not to," he loosens his grip on her, seating himself beside her on the bed.

"Hmph! How can a bean sprout like you fight anyway?" She said harshly. Very obviously mad, for reasons unknown to him.

"You'll see. Scratch that, I hope you don't ever get to see."

"Idiot beansprout, trying to look cool by taking responsibility for something that wasn't your fault," she says defeatedly. Yes, she got hurt, and yes it was serious but, he wasn't really to blame. If anything, no one was to blame.

"It's you I'm trying to take responsibility for. You are my best friend after all. Get used to it, darling." He flicks her forehead lightly before he reaches over her body to get the cake. "I brought blues, let's eat!" He flashed her a sincere smile.

"Thank you, Raku," she bows her head slightly.

"For the blues? Sure, no problem," he tilts his head at her and hands over the paper bag.

"For everything, idiot." Chitoge hugs him, her face buried in the crook of his neck, arms wound tightly around his body.

And all of a sudden Raku feels like his heart has stopped and thumped louder all at the same time. He didn't know if that was possible, but it did. It would've been nice to stay in that moment for an extended period of time.

"Don't mention it, Darling. Just don't go off slipping into a coma anymore. Alright?" He returns the hug and pats her head lightly.

All he gets in reply are incoherent sounds and an even tighter hug. So what if the $25 cake was crushed in between them, he had Chitoge in his arms, that was all that mattered.

 **A/N:** Healthy criticism is always welcome. Requests are open too, if you have any, or trust me enough to write your idea. Thanks for reading, as always! Til next time! Thanks for the reviews too!


	6. Bean Sprout

Like everywhere else in the Asia, summers couldn't pass by without the carnival rolling into town. The lines are long, the crowds become suffocating, the make-shift rides wobble at every turn, all the seats are always occupied, the games are rigged and it all gets tiring after a while. But hey, it just wouldn't be summer without it.

And you don't really notice all those flaws once you're there. No, not really.

Not when there were jokes and laughs to pass the time, when exhilaration courses through you at the peak of that not really so high roller coaster, when you win prizes with sheer determination and luck at all those rigged games, when the food is actually quite good for something so temporary, and when you're whole world is right beside you. Holding your hand and dragging you to wherever or whatever she wants to do next. Whether it be getting a plushy, riding the carousel, or eating ramen.

Nights like these, well, they weren't exactly rare. But all the more reason to go, right? Because you'd never know when it'll be the last time you ever do something so normal.

"Darling, slow down. We'll get separated again at this rate," Raku lightly tugs on the sleeve of Chitoge's yukata- which was now thankfully tied tightly into place.

"But if we go any slower we won't be able to get on all of the rides!" Complains the blonde that has caught everyone's eyes with her every turn. Even Raku's, who really should've been used to her incomparable beauty by now.

"Chitoge, the carnival doesn't leave for another 2 weeks, I think we'd have ridden all there is to ride by then," Raku explains.

"Don't be such a party pooper, bean sprout! You're just complaining because you can't keep up with me," Chitoge counters, sticking out her tongue.

"Well it's not my fault you have the energy of a gorilla, ojou-sama. And for your information, I can keep up with you just fine," Raku comments back, crossing his arms across his chest, sticking his tongue out as well.

"Can not."

"Can too."

"Can not."

"Can too.

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can-"

"Alright alright, you win. Let's just get going. Where do you want to go first? The carou- Chitoge?" Raku turns his head only to find her staring at a row of stuffed toys at the shooting range, an enchanted look on her face.

"Darling, there! Let's go play there!" Like an excited child, she dashes toward the sound of toy guns, turning around once to wave at him to follow before leaving him in the dust all together. Wherever she goes, he follows.

"Come one, come all! We have every kind of plushy you can imagine. Pretty lady, would you like to try?" The vendor asked Chitoge.

"Do you have a beansprout plushy?" She asks excitedly, eyeing all the prizes.

"A beansprout? Let's see, we have a bean plushy and it's the last one-"

"And we have a winner!" Another voice booms. "Such skill, you're entitled to the grand prize, Sir. Would you like the jirachi or the togepi?"

"Just the one that looks like a beansprout, thanks," the winner says nonchalantly.

"But Sir, that's two levels down what you're qualified to get, are you sure?"

"Hm? Yeah." And the man was handed his prize.

A sulking Chitoge left the minute she heard someone claim the last bean. Just her luck. If she'd gotten there a bit earlier, she surely could've beaten the guy to it. Stupid Raku, so slow all the time. Where was he anyway?

"Chitoge! There you are! Why'd you leave all of a sudden? Are you tired?" Raku sat next to her, waving his hands in front of her face.

"Stupid stupid beansprout!" She finally looks at him. "If you weren't so slow then I would have gotten the bean plushy and-"

"You mean this bean plushy?" He holds up the bean for her to see.

"Wha- but how? Someone already won that!"

"I know, I was the one who won it," he explains.

"But, I didn't see you!"

"You weren't looking at me. You were too preoccupied with the shelf of prizes. So I went ahead and played. This was the one you wanted, right?" He hands it over to her, smiling shyly as he did so.

He knew! He knew that she wanted it! Chitoge was absolutely bursting inside.

"Seriously, gorilla. How could you have noticed that I was carrying it? That thing's half your size," he chides.

"Shut up, stupid beansprout!" She grabs the plushy and hugs it tightly. Burying her face in it. Raku was almost jealous.

"Thank you," she tells him after a moment, a genuine smile on her face. "Let's go to the basketball one next!" She gets up, holds his hand and pulls him towards the next game. Hugging her bean and not letting go of her beansprout for the rest of the night.


	7. Glasses

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

His heart stopped. He couldn't describe it in any other way. Stunning? Dazzling? Enticing? Downright breathtaking? Words couldn't comprehend what he felt.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kirisaki Chitoge, was wearing glasses.

Since when did I have a glasses fetish? Raku groans inwardly as he tries to suppress the heat rising up to his face. Why did she look so good in them? Without even trying!

"Ne, bean-sprout, which one suits my eyes better? Rectangular or elliptical?" Chitoge asks as she peeks at him over the lens.

"Since when did you even need glasses?" He gulps, hands in his pockets as he tries to look like he's interested in the display of contact lenses.

"I told you, my eyes are starting to give up on me. Thanks to my late night manga reading habits. Plus, it makes me look more professional, don't you think?" She explains as she smiles at him nonchalantly.

"Why do you need to look more professional?" He asks, truly curious.

"Because I want to impress my Mom when I start working for her," Chitoge gives Raku a weird look when she sees him hit his head on the glass display repeatedly. "Are you alright, bean sprout? You're acting way weirder than usual."

"Hm? Me? Couldn't be better!" He rambles as he snaps back into reality. He just really wants to kiss her senseless right now. Wait, what? Damn you, hormones!

"Darling, you're face is red, do you have a fever?" She walks over to place her hand on his forehead, as she tries to gauge his temperature.

"No, no! Never better, darling!" Raku manages as he catches Chitoge's hand in midair. He pulls it down and holds it there, "you were asking which shape suited you best, right?" He gulps.

"Yeah! Um, this elliptical one or the rectangular one?" She says, a light blush tinting her cheeks due to the handholding.

Raku gives her a once-over before taking his pick. "Elliptical one, suits you better and makes you look more professional." He gives her a smile. And sexy, he thought.

"Okay then, wait here while I pay for it," she happily skips toward the counter, leaving a helpless Ichijou to fend off his hormones by himself. No one would even need to be hormonal to see how beautiful Chitoge is. The glasses just really drove him crazy.

"Ojou, I think Ichijou-san is losing it," Tsugumi whispers to Chitoge, a concerned smile on her face.

"What makes you say that, Tsugumi? He told me he was just fine," Chitoge answers, giving her friend a perplexed look.

"I think it's the glasses," the assassin offers.

"Glasses? You mean he wants one?" Chitoge's brows furrow.

"N-no! Your glasses, you look really good in them. I think it's driving him to the brink," Tsugumi quickly clarifies.

"Don't be silly, Tsugumi," the heiress giggles, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

Raku, driven to the brink because she wore glasses? Please, not in a million years. Or so she thought.

His head was starting to hurt now. Why? Because he was losing his sanity over Chitoge wearing spectacles. Sexy was just one way to describe it. She'd punch him into oblivion if she heard his thoughts right now. And Tsugumi was looking at her with a weird expression on her face. As if she was saying that she knew what he was going through. Was he that easy to read? He groans once more as he continues to hit his head on the display case.

"Miss, please stop your boyfriend from breaking our display," the helper says nicely.

"Breaking the - Raku! W-what's wrong?" she fumbles as she turns around to look at her boyfriend.

"Darling!" He voices out and looks at her, his forehead a slight shade of red. He sees her with glasses again and he knows he can't take anymore. "I think I'm claustrophobic, this store is kinda making me feel that way. I'll wait for you outside!" He hurriedly adds as he ran out the store. "And you look beautiful, Darling!" He adds before completely disappearing.

"Wha-" Chitoge is left dumbfounded and flushed all the same.

"Was it his first time seeing her in glasses?" The cashier asks Tsugumi. To which the assassin just nods, a sympathetic smile on her face.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! This is actually inspired by the latest manga spoilers I saw on tumblr. I was in awe when I saw Chitoge in glasses and an office uniform. Really. Not kidding.


	8. Run

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

"Hand over the girl."

"What girl?" Raku asks as he steps forward and uses himself to block Chitoge from the pipe wrench holding men.

"That girl, you dumbass!" The guy bellows, pointing at Chitoge with his tightly held wrench.

"But this is a gorilla, trust me, you don't want her," Raku explains with a small laugh as he refers to Chitoge.

"Is that so? Don't you want to just keep her all to yourself?"

Chitoge was about to retaliate when Raku squeezes her arm to stop her. Trust me, says the squeeze. She obliges.

"Maybe I do. What's it to you?" Raku says nonchalantly.

"Bean sprout, now isn't really the time to sound like a smart-ass!" Chitoge hisses.

"Alright, that's it. I've wasted enough time on you, boy. Now, hand over your girlfriend before I get it into my head to leave you limping!" Grunts the burly man.

"Try me," Raku challenges, a glint of arrogance in his eyes. "On second thought, could you fine gentlemen give us a few minutes? Thanks," he turns his back on the confused grunts and faces Chitoge.

"Bean sprout, back off! I can take care of these guys on my own," she squeezes his arm this time and pulls him backward. "He has a weapon in case you hadn't noticed!"

"I have a plan," he whispers to her.

"Is it a good one?" She asks.

"I have a plan," he just repeats. His voice just slightly less reassuring.

"You're gonna get us killed," Chitoge sighs, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But I'm in. What's the plan?"

"Run like hell when I say so," Raku says, giving her a nervous smile. "And don't ever let go of my hand, mo matter what," he adds seriously, holding onto her hand.

"Okay," she breathes deeply, "let's do this!" They boost each other's confidence with a smile.

"Are you lovebirds finished with your goodbyes now? Because you're seriously throwing my schedule off," the leader whines.

"Sorry we took so long! We're finished talking. Sorry about your schedule," Raku apologizes, bowing lightly as he did so.

"So, are you gonna hand her over or are we gonna beat the living daylights out of you first?" The surrounding grunts laugh.

"Come at me," he says arrogantly to the leader. "Just you, or are you afraid of getting embarrassed in front of your boys?" He taunts.

"Troublesome punk, ain't ya? Alright then."

The man charges with a scream, Raku stays firmly in place, knees bent, breathing steady, Chitoge's hand warm in his. The surrounding grunts kept cheering for their boss. 8 meters away, 7, 6, 5, at 4 Raku bends his knees and ducks his head. The gang leader doesn't stop. Just as the guys was about to either grab him or punch him, Raku dodges by bending low. The man loses his balance as Raku ducks and uses his upper body to flip the man onto his back, his knees as springing support. The gang leader lands on his back with a thud, his men, too stunned to act.

"Run!" He yells at Chitoge, and the blonde runs like an olympic athlete, straight through the hole in the circle that the leader vacated, dragging Raku with her.

"Go after them you idiots!" The man roars at his underlings. Chitoge and Raku were about 30 meters ahead when they heard the footsteps hurdling towards them.

"Turn left, then over the bridge!" Raku instructs hurriedly.

"But the police station is to the right!" Chitoge argues.

"Just trust me!" He insists. His grip on her hand, tightening.

"Fine! But if we die, I'm gonna kill you, bean sprout!" She rants.

They're halfway across the bridge when a wrench whizzes its way over their heads, and falls to the ground with a clatter.

"They've caught up! You go ahead, Chitoge! I'll distract them. Go find Ryuu and the others! They should be patrolling right around the corner!" He dictates. "Go!" Raku lets go of her hand and pushes her forward with all his might. Another wrench whizzes past them and it barely misses her arm. It makes his blood boil.

"But-"

"Chitoge, please. You just got out of the hospital. And we just ran like hell, go find Ryuu, I'll be fine."

He feels something warm on his cheek and before he could properly react she screams, "Don't die on me, you stupid bean sprout!" She sprints to the other direction to look for the Yakuza.

"I wouldn't dare to, gorilla," he grins. Embarrassed but energized by the sudden kiss on the cheek.

"Well would you look at that, aren't you the knight in shining armor?" Chides the leader.

"Does that make you guys the dragon? Kinda unfair to be fighting with one against ten? Don't you think?" He jests.

"Of course not. But who cares? Get him, boys! I want him dead!" The man laughs like a lunatic as he points at Raku. Something that makes said Yakuza heir gulp.

Here goes! He readies his stance and breathes deeply. A rock suddenly comes out of nowhere, hitting the first guy square in the forehead. He whips he head back to see Chitoge carrying a pile of rocks and pitching them like crazy. Ryuu and the others right behind her, charging with their weapons raised.

"Leave bocchan alone!" Ryuu demands as he unsheathes his Katana.

Before he realizes what's happening, the Yakuza obliterates the pitiful street gang, ties them up and drags them to the police station.

"Are you alright, Bocchan?" Ryuu asks.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Ryuu," Raku smiles at him.

"Thank your girl, she found us just as we were about to leave," Ryuu smiles back. "We'll be going now, try not to run into anymore trouble, alright?" He waves goodbye.

"You idiot, bean sprout!" Something, someone, a certain blonde princess tackles him in a hug and knocks all the air out of him. Making them fall to the pavement.

"Chitoge, what are y-you?" He flusters. Suddenly back to his normal, embarrassed self.

"Stop acting like such a prince all the time," she says into his shoulder. "A lame one, at that."

"Well, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try, princess," he chuckles.

"I hate you, bean sprout." Her cheeks a light shade of pink.

"Right back at ya, gorilla." His, the same shade as hers.

As usual, their day ended with a bowl of ramen.

* * *

 **A/N:** Action's not really my strong suit, so yeah. Thanks for reading! Feedback would be much appreciated. I haven't proofread this thoroughly so sorry for any errors. God speed!


	9. Date

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

"Would you like to order now, Miss?" The waitress asks for the 4th time that night. It was getting embarrassing. Not to mention self-degrading.

"N-no! I mean, just a bit more time," Chitoge squeaks as she looks at the empty chair across from her and looks back down with a sigh. The waitress gives her a sympathetic smile before politely walking away.

What a douche. Where was he? It was an hour and a half past their meeting time and he's still not here. More importantly, she was getting hungry and really did want to order. She looks toward the door for the nth time that night in hopes that her date would show himself. Only to get apologetic smiles from the other tables. It makes her furious, so much so that she decides to just up and leave. To hell with that guy.

"Darling! I'm sorry I'm so late. Traffic was killer," a guy says to her, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Adelt said your date wouldn't be able to come so I came, play along, yeah?" Raku adds quietly as he gives Chitoge an encouraging smile.

Perplexed, Chitoge sits back down and smiles to keep up the act.

"What the hell are you doing here, bean sprout?" She says through gritted teeth. A semi-forced smile on her face.

"Saving your butt, gorilla ojou-sama," he answers with a smug smile.

"Who says I need saving? I don't need anyone to save me," she counters.

"I don't care. I already went through the trouble of dressing up and coming here so just play along," He whispers then let's out a professionally fake laugh. Chitoge does the same. Smiles plastered across both their faces.

"Fine, but if you embarrass me with your eating manners I'm gonna leave you," she smiles at him evilly.

"Oh please, you should be worrying about yourself," he revamps.

"Are you ready to order now, Miss?" The waitress asks with a smile.

"Yes, thank you for being patient with us," Chitoge says gratefully.

"Yeah, thank for taking care of my girl while I wasn't here yet," Raku adds, effectively making Chitoge blush.

The waitress just smiles and takes their orders. She even brings over two glasses of wine as a gift. They wait in silence for their food to arrive.

"So," Raku puts down his wine, "do you wanna talk about it?"

"About what?"

"The douche who ditched you, rant and stuff," he offers. "Isn't he a secret suitor or something?"

"He is. He doesn't know we're fake dating and I didn't have it in me to turn down his offer for a date," she elaborates, "and he was cute so I uh," she trails off, avoiding Raku's gaze.

"That so?" Raku raises his brow, looking annoyed, as he looks away and sips more wine. "I never thought your old man would be the type to get you into some kind of arranged marriage."

"He's not. It's Claude's idea. Says I need to find someone who has the makings of a prince," she explains.

"Really? And while you're still dating me. The nerve of that four-eyes. And you even let him!" Raku complains.

"It's not like I had much of a choice. They were lining up one by one before I even knew about it!"

"He doesn't deserve you," he mumbles. To which Chitoge whips her head up in surprise. Her mouth in an 'O' shape.

"Really? What makes you say that, bean sprout?"

"The fact that he didn't show up," he says nonchalantly, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Don't be so judgmental. Something important must've come up," she defends.

"That's exactly my point. If he can't take a minute to have dinner with you then how will he take care of you when you get married?" He leans in extensively to emphasize his point.

"Well sorry for not having you vet him up and down first!" She snaps at him. "Why do you even care? What's it to you? We'll be nothing but memories to each other in a few months anyway," she's still avoiding his gaze. Flustered with the fact that he saved her, again.

"Because you're my best friend, that's why, you stupid gorilla," he's avoiding hers too.

"Please, bean sprout. That reason's getting old. And this isn't the first time you don't approve of my date," she claims.

"That's because all your aspiring fiancé candidates want is your Dad's position. And are you seriously telling me that you'll forget all about us once the three years are up?" He asks seriously, a hurt look on his face.

"I don't see the point in remembering. Since I'll be leaving anyway," she shrugs.

"I didn't know gorillas could be that heartless," he quips, "and I know you don't mean that." He sits back down on his chair.

"And I can't understand why bean sprouts have to judge my dates," she scoffs. "You don't even have much of a reason to not like them so why?" She gives him an irritated look. Even Chitoge didn't know why she said all those things to him. Not when she didn't really mean them.

"Because they're not me!" He hisses as he gazed into her blue irises, his whole body tense, unintentionally so.

Chitoge was, well, surprised? Bewildered? Confused? Her heart though, she felt like it skipped a beat. But why?

"Thank you for waiting," someone interrupts, "here are your orders," the waiter sets down the food.

Saved by food. Raku couldn't be more grateful. He just downright confessed to Chitoge, he was such an idiot. There was no way he could take those words back, or even give it another meaning. He'll think of something before they finish eating. Hopefully.

Chitoge on the other hand, didn't know what to ask. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her rib cage. Too shocked to talk. At any rate, she's sure she'll think better once she eats.

As the ate in silence, both kept wondering how to bring up to topic. Or whether or not to bring it up at all.

Raku, having thought of nothing useful over the course of the whole dinner, decides to wing it and says, "Darling, come on, I'll walk you home," he smiles awkwardly and offers her his hand. She accepts it but doesn't look at him at all. They walk in silence halfway through.

"If you're so bothered that they're not you, then I'll tell Dad to stop Claude," she finally says. "It's unfair to you, even though we are just fake dating. Plus, if they really love me then they can wait 'til I'm free from you."

"Like I'd be stupid enough to let some prince just take you away from me," he says quietly. Tightening his hold on her.

"What was that?"

"I said, you can't wait to get rid of me, huh?"

"You have no idea," she rolls her eyes at him. No idea how much I don't want that day to come, she adds in her head. "

"Here's an idea. Date. Tomorrow. I'll pick you up at 8:00," Raku says out of the blue.

"Aren't you a bossy bean sprout?" Chitoge says sarcastically. Her face turning a slight shade of pink.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah. This didn't come out as smoothly as I wanted it to. DId you guys like it? This was inspired by a tumblr writing prompt post for OTPs and a few ideas of mine thrown in. Thanks for reading! God speed!


	10. Oh The Pain

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

 _Because it's always nice to have someone who'll hold you together when you're broken._

"Something wrong, honey?" Raku asks as the blonde plops down on the couch, her head in his lap. He always could sense it. When she was in a not so pleasant mood.

"Mm hmm otp mm," she mumbles into his shirt.

"Really? Maybe you should try watching a romcom to take your mind off of it," he suggests. Seemingly able to understand the incoherent ramblings of Chitoge.

"Gghh died nggg," she sobbed into his shirt.

"Geez Honey, who knew you were such a crybaby when it comes to your otp," Raku jokes as he weaves his hand through her blonde tresses to calm the sad fangirl.

"You'd understand if you watched it with me!" She suddenly leans on her arms to look him in the eye. "They were so perfect together, Raku! S-so p-perfect," she stutters, "but she- the girl died! S-she d-died!" Her lips were trembling and there were tears that were threatening to fall, and yet it made Raku chuckle.

Why? Because she looks so damn cute whenever she was frustrated with a pairing that was supposed to be canon had the other person not died. He realizes that Chitoge has been somewhat of a masochist these past few months. Always picking up romantic dramas here and there. Anime or manga.

"Don't laugh at me, stupid bean sprout!" She starts to feebly punch his chest, something that hurt very much even though she wasn't at full strength.

"Alright, gorilla girl. That's enough. Exerting too much energy isn't good for a broken heart, or at least that's what you told me before," Raku says as he takes hold of her wrists and holds them at her sides.

He then cups her face in his hands and starts to wipe away the tears with his thumbs. She's avoiding his gaze because she hated how a simple story could break her. He, on the other hand, wore an understanding and content smile, happy that she wasn't afraid of showing him her weak moments.

"Now, what do you want? Ramen? Ice cream? Cake? Food will make anything better, you said that too," he tells her with a smile.

"I-I just want to stay here," she proceeds to hug Raku and bury her face in his chest. Something that takes him by surprise.

"O-okay," he replies nervously. Then he realizes what must've brought this on. "Are you're clamping onto me because you think I'll kick the bucket like your character? You don't have to worry about me, you know" he pinches her cheeks to try and make her laugh.

"And she didn't kick the bucket! It was taken from her!" She rants.

"Okay! Okay! You win," he surrenders.

"And who says I'm worried?" She defends, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

"Says your life threatening hug," he laughs lightly.

"Shut up, bean sprout."

"Here, have some shut eye. You'll feel better after it," he aligns their bodies along the sofa and they wiggle until they find a good position. Her on top of him with their arms around each other and her head on his chest. It takes a while, but he hears it. The soft melody of her breathing, and now, he can read his shounen manga in peace.

* * *

 **A/N:** Like it? Thanks for reading! Comments and critics please. Ideas are welcome too. God speed!


	11. Just You

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Chitoge hates funerals. Not because she's been to so many of them, this was her first one mind you, but because everything done during a funeral seemed empty.

People were always crying or trying not to. Guests would arrive, pretend to give their condolences, but all they really want was the latest gossip of how the person died. Left and right, there was nothing but pity and annoying whispers and crappy coffee.

But most of all, it was because it meant that she had lost someone who was dear to her heart in some way. Maybe like a second cousin twice removed? Or your mother's sister's best friend? Or your boyfriend's father.

By no means were Chitoge and the old Yakuza boss close, they were good acquaintances at most. Civil and polite. But he was supposed to be her future father in-law. She was still sad. The most bothering thought of the day was, how much sadder would Raku be? His father just died. Now he even has to take responsibility for the Yakuza at such an early age. Well, not really early, but not exactly ready or willing.

Where was the bean sprout anyway? Chitoge had probably scoured the whole house and yet there was still no sign of the Yakuza heir. Scratch that, Yakuza boss.

"Chitoge!" Her name resounds throughout the hallway. Prompting her to turn around to the sound of the voice. "Looking for Raku, I take it?" Shuu asks her.

"Mhm. No luck though," she answers n

"He's probably at the storage house. On the rooftop. Hiding from the guest," Shuu thinks out aloud.

"It's worth a look, I guess. Thank, Shuu!" Chitoge waves goodbye at him as she turns around.

"And Chitoge," Shuu calls out.

"Yeah?"

"Keep him together, won't you?"

"He's in good hands," she reassures him with a smile.

This was ridiculous. A ladder? It barely had any rungs left! How the hell was it supposed to support her weight? How did Raku even survive this thing? To hell with it, her bean sprout needed her. The things you do for love.

It creaked and squeaked at every step, but she made it in one piece. Actually, it collapsed just as she stepped onto and roof. The loud bang caused her to lose her balance, and she almost fell had Raku not pulled her towards him hurriedly.

"What the hell, are you trying to catch up to the old man?" Raku hisses at her as they land back on the roof. His eyes refusing to gaze into hers.

"I wasn't! And what the hell kind of ladder was that? It barely had anything left on it!" She snaps at him, heart still beating loudly from the adrenaline rush. And probably because their faces were so close now she could practically feel his breath on hers. After all, they were on top of each other. Again.

"It's not my fault a heavy gorilla tried to follow me!"

"For the last time, would you stop calling me that, you stupid bean sprout!"

"Gorilla!"

"Bean Sprout!"

"Amazona!"

"Whimp!"

"Idiot!"

"Dummy!"

"I hate you!"

"I hate you too!"

This went on for quite a while, at least until Raku couldn't take it anymore and decides that kissing Chitoge would be far better than arguing with her. On a rooftop, while so many stars shine for them.

He was tempted to do so, the minute she fell onto him, but controlled himself because it wasn't exactly the time or place for romantic gestures. Still though, he kissed her.

Fervently, with yearning. It took the blonde by surprise, but after a beat, she returns it just as eagerly. All of Raku's pent up emotions were in that kiss. His frustration, his sadness. His burdens. He pours it all into her, into them, and right now, Chitoge didn't mind. He needed an outlet, and she'd gladly be that outlet if all she needs to do was let him kiss her senseless.

His lips were chapped, and a bit rough, but they were warm and tasted like grape juice. He had his arms around her waist and held onto her like his life depended on it.

Her lips were soft and moist, they tasted like ice cream and cake. Her arms were around his neck, firmly holding onto him like she was trying to keep him together.

Soon, touching turns into grabbing, and their tongues were intertwining, and the boundaries were disappearing. Had Chitoge not been a lady and Raku, not a gentleman, they would have probably done it then and there. But it was cold, and very much inappropriate.

Reluctantly, they let go of each other, both out of breath and both flustered. They hadn't done that in a while.

Raku finally gave in to his fatigue and let his head drop to Chitoge's shoulder. Tired, sad, and frustrated with life. He just lost his father, couldn't they have given him a few days before declaring him the new boss? Really.

Chitoge didn't know what it was like to have no parents anymore, so she couldn't exactly tell Raku that she knew how he felt or that it was okay. Because nothing ever really was during a funeral.

"I don't know how anything is going to turn out from now on, but I do know that it'll put a pin in my plans, my dreams, our relationship," he confesses. "I won't keep you here against your will. I know you need to go back to the US soon," he smiles sadly as he rubs circles into the palm of her hand.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Her voice was soft, almost understanding.

"No! Of course not!"

"Well, it kinda sounds like it."

"No, I'm not, I'm just giving you an out. Telling you your options. Before anything, right now I need to fulfill my old man's dying wish. And as much as I need you, I don't want to hold you back. And I'm sure your family won't let you throw away what I'm sure would be an amazing future if you leave Japan."

"Bean sprout, you should know by now that nothing can hold me back. No one, not even you," she lifts his chin with her finger and looks into his eyes to make her point.

"I know, that's why I'm letting you go," he mumbles, his eyes darting anywhere but hers.

"Like you said, I have an amazing future ahead of me. I don't need the US to make that happen. We'll finish University in the best school in Japan and start from there," she smiles at him reassuringly.

"But what about-"

"My parents will understand. Don't worry."

"And-"

"So will Claude. Hopefully."

"But there's a much better future-"

"Raku, right now, I'm staring at the best thing the future could have to offer me," she cups his face and squeezes his cheeks playfully. "You. Just you," she says shyly. The pink in her cheeks starting to become more obvious.

"You're not gonna leave me?" He suddenly asks.

"Nope," she answers in a heartbeat, popping the p.

"You'll stay?"

"Obviously."

"Even if the whole Yakuza thing turns me into a completely different person?"

"It won't."

"Even if it's now more dangerous to be near me because I'm the boss?"

"I'm a Mafia heir, in case you've forgotten. It's always dangerous."

"Even if I become bald like my old man?"

"Not even then," she laughs a bit. Causing him to laugh as well. His questions, after all, were getting quite ridiculous.

"I love you," he hums into her neck.

"I like you okay too," she jokes, making him laugh again.

"But seriously, I love you, Kirisaki Chitoge," he finally lets himself gaze into her beautiful blue orbs.

"I love you too, Ichijou Raku," she replies with a smile and a pat of his cheek. Fully aware of everything she would gladly give up just to be able to stay with him.

He gives her a light peck on the lips before lying down on her lap and gazing at the stars.

"But you better figure out a way to get us down or I'm seriously going to throw you to the ground."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! It was a little OC, sorry. I wrote this at an actual funeral, so yeah. God speed!


	12. Graduation

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

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"Along the way, we learned many wonderful things, gained new friends, had awesome parties, fell in love and some even fell out of love. But more importantly, we stayed in love. With learning, our friends, our professors, this school or maybe even with just a single person... no matter how much it hurt and how hard it all was, and that's the most important part. Thank you for being our second home for the last four years. Thank you to our families who have supported us unconditionally. To our professors, thank you for being our second parents. And to this batch of graduates, thank you for being my second family. To Kami-sama, thank you so much. Congratulations to the batch of 20XX! We did it!" Everyone cheered at Chitoge's final sentence. Cat calls, claps, whistles, laughs, giggles, all of the above and more filled the hearts of the graduating college students.

It even made Chitoge's heart bear louder than she thought it would. It was louder than when she was actually giving her speech. She looked at everyone one final look, smiled, and walked down the stage. And as she took the final step, she let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

Chitoge was the top student of their batch. So naturally, she was asked to give the farewell speech. She was now officially qualified to work for her mother as a professional. She took up business economics as a major and some pre-law courses for a minor. She juggled all of that with her relations with her friends and even Raku.

Raku. She really wished he were here. Her stupid bean sprout couldn't come because his flight out of Tokyo got delayed. She said it was fine when he called and apologized to her over and over again and promised that he'd make it up to her somehow. But still, she was sad that he didn't hear her give her speech. Specially since he was the one who cheered her on every time she had something to rant about.

"Congratulations, Ojou!" Tsugumi said to her, a wide smile on her face. Chitoge had encouraged Tsugumi to pursue a course she wanted, and the assassin finally relented, taking on education in the same university she was at.

"Thanks, Tsugumi. Congratulations too!" She hugged her tightly and smiled.

"Congratulations, Dear! And you too, Tsugumi!" Her Dad hugged her the moment he was able to untangle himself from the crowd of graduates. "Your speech was brilliant dear. Your mom listened to it over facetime. She said to call her after things settle down and that she looks forward to working with you," he added, a proud smile on his face.

"Thanks Dad," she smiled at him, though her eyes must have given her away.

"Raku-kun can watch the video on my phone. I'm sure he'd be just as proud as if he were here," her Dad reassured her, squeezing her arms softly.

She smiled back, and this time it was real. Because she shouldn't let a small matter like that ruin such a big day for her. She'd just have to punch Raku later for picking out such a troublesome airline.

"Thank you Kirisaki-san, but I don't need the video," a familiar voice said to her father. Causing Chitoge to look up, only for her face to be engulfed in a bouquet of white roses.

"Congratulations, Darling. That was an awesome speech. I actually feel like a really proud boyfriend right now," he chuckled at her, lowering the flowers down a bit so she could see his grin.

The next thing they knew, Chitoge had tackled Raku in a hug and the yakuza heir had to step back and let them spin around once to keep them from falling over. Her arms around his neck and his arms around her waist.

"But I thought your flight got cancelled?" She pulled back to look at his face. Oh how she missed him.

"I got Yui-nee to lend me her private plane," he grinned at her.

"Then you should have called to tell me, you stupid bean sprout!" She tried to punch him.

"Well, I wasn't sure I was allowed to borrow another gang's plane again and I didn't want to get your hopes up in case that plan failed," he explained, setting her down on the ground, "and also, I kinda wanted to surprise you if it did work out," he added with a confident smile on his face. "Even though I had to agree to some future partnerships with them, which is kind of a hassle," he sighed/murmured more to himself than anyone else. Earning Raku a sympathetic smile from Chitoge's Dad.

He waved the bouquet in front of her because she wasn't saying anything. "Chitoge? Were you surprised? Are you angry? Crap, I hope not. Gorilla, hey," he chanted on and on until she surprised everyone around them by turning into a fit of giggles and soft, tender, smiles.

"Wow bean sprout, that actually sounded romantic. I didn't know you were capable of that," she teased him.

"Hey! I resent that! Of course I'm romantic. I even got you flowers and everything!" He defended himself, placing the bouquet in her arms.

"But why white roses?"

"Because red ones are too cliche. And you of all people don't deserve cliche stuff," Raku answered, his cheeks turned slightly pink as he avoided her gaze.

She giggled again and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before hooking their arms together. "Thank you for the roses, I love them. And thank you for trying so hard to get here," she smiled at him.

"What? You love the roses but not me?" He joked, smiling at her widely.

"Stupid bean sprout. I will always love you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! That took a while. I saw stuck in a writing slump. Sorry. Healthy criticism is always welcome! Thank you for the reviews! I loved all of them and promise to reply when I can. God speed!


	13. Mornings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

And when he wakes up, she's always right there beside him.

Raku has always been an early bird. Granted, his men would probably die of starvation if he didn't always wake up early to cook for them. Granted, he was a high school student who had to get up early for school.

Now, all of that is no more. Sure, he missed them sometimes. Enough to actually surprise them with a visit, but, with what he now woke up to every morning, Raku wouldn't exchange for the world.

The peaceful, and blissful face of a sleeping Kirisaki Chitoge. His Kirisaki Chitoge for about a few months now. Sweet was the life of a newly wed couple. He chuckles every time he remembers how nervous he was to propose. How he was practically mush when he saw her walk down the aisle to him. How he couldn't get enough of her on their honeymoon. They barely left their suite, mind you.

Now, they were in their new condominium in the States. Legs tangled together, arms wrapped around each other, faces literally centimeters apart. Mornings like this had just become so rare ever since they started working again. Raku would know, both of them barely even got home before midnight sometimes. Tiring was the work of a CEO in training and a Civil Servant/Lawyer.

Raku twirls Chitoge's blonde locks with his fingers as he takes in her beauty. Sometimes it just makes his heart stop, specially when he looks into those blue eyes. He feels like a lovesick teenager who's hopelessly in love with someone way out of his league.

"Good Morning, Honey," Raku says to her as he sees her stir and yawn. The faces she makes as she wakes up are just so funny sometimes. He leans up on his elbows a bit to hover over her and wipe the morning tears from her eyes.

"Good morning, beans sprout," she yawns, stretching her arms out. "Why are you up so early? Isn't it a weekend?" She blinks at him.

"No particular reason. Maybe I just like to watch you sleep. You seem like less of a gorilla when you are," he teases, his right hand suggestively resting on her waist.

"Perverted Idiot," she murmurs. Cheeks slightly pink because of how touchy he is this morning. Actually, really pink when she remembers that they had virtually no clothing at all, with the added bonus of the scenes of last night flooding back to her mind like tidal waves.

Raku suddenly leans down and Chitoge's breath catches in her throat when she feels him peppering kisses on her neck. Down to her collarbone, back up to her jaw, and at the very edge of her lips. Teasing her like crazy. It sends shivers down her spine and makes her squirm, and he just falls on his side, laughing like a child.

"Raku!" She whines, giving him an annoyed look.

"What? Can you really blame me? Teasing you is like the highlight of my day," he smiles smugly at her. He'll probably pay for this later but, it was worth it. Just seeing her all pink and flustered made it all worth it. He gives her one sweet and lingering kiss on the lips before standing up and saying, "I'm gonna go make breakfast."

Effectively leaving Chitoge practically craving for more. Safe to say that Raku barely got even a few feet away from bed before Chitoge pulled him back. Again, they barely left the room.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! As always. I just read the latest Nisekoi chapter and Raku finally freaking picked someone! And I just had to write something to vent my feels. Crap. I hope with all the hope in the world that he picked Chitoge. I mean, he did, right? Right? And I'm in love with Shuu's supporting role lines. Lol. I love that guy. And Chitoge's freakin gorgeous like always. Anyway, thanks again! And I love the reviews! Healthy criticism please. God speed!


	14. Impressionable

**Disclaimer:** I do not own NIsekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Left. Right. On her back. On her stomach. Inside the blanket. Outside the blanket. Facing Raku. Not facing Raku. Lights on. Lights off.

Chitoge couldn't seem to fall asleep, much to a certain Yakuza heir's dismay. Well, not dismay, more like three rungs below it. She'd been tossing and turning for the past two hours. It was kinda hard not to notice seeing as they were sharing the same bed. It wasn't raining, which means there's no thunder, so why is she so restless? It's 2 in the freakin morning.

"Okay, that's it. What's wrong, Darling? You've been tossing and turning all night," Raku finally asks as he lies down on his side, facing his favorite blonde.

"Did I wake you, bean sprout?" She asks, turning around to face him.

"No, you didn't. I just wanted to ask you for no valid reason at all. Certainly not because your sleeplessness kept me awake too," Raku says, his voice a bit sarcastic. Earning himself a death stare from Chitoge. "So, what's wrong?"

"Do you love me?" She asks all of a sudden, and Raku could have sworn he saw her blush if weren't for the lack of light.

A beat passes.

Two beats.

Three beats.

"Chitoge, I married you," he reminds her, a semi-amused and confused look on his face.

"But you could have married me out of obligation. Since we've been dating for years and maybe Claude or Tsugumi threatened you. Or maybe out of pity. Even-"

He stops her rambling with a kiss on the forehead.

"I love you," he breathes out.

He kisses her nose, a grin on his face.

"I love you," he says again.

He feels her melt into him when he kisses her soft, sweet lips.

"I love you," he repeats between kisses.

He feels her shudder when he touches her, and for the first time that night/morning, she relaxes. She snuggles into Raku and falls asleep in his arms.

The last thing she says before surrendering to sleep was, "I love you too, bean sprout." The last thing she hears is his chuckle, and his smile, if that was even possible.

The next morning, he finds out that Chitoge's behavior was due to a book Ruri gave her. Chitoge really was an impressionable woman.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! This chapter wasn't as good as I thought it would be. I guess I'm running out of ideas. Anyway, healthy criticism is always helpful! And to the people who reviewed, I'll try to write your requests in the future chapters. Thanks again! God speed!


	15. The Kiss

Disclaimer:I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story

* * *

Cheers and murmurs fill the swimming pool area as the first placer gets out of the pool and waves to the crowd. The other swimmers rising from the debts one after another. Except for a certain hair clipped male. Prompting an organizer and some of the audience to panic as the lifeguard heroically dives into the pool.

"It seems Swimmer Number 7 is still not getting out of the water. Please standby as the lifeguard does his job," the man with the microphone announces. Professionalism coating his voice. After all, it wasn't unusual for someone to drown in a swim meet.

But neither that warning, nor the barricade of guards stopped Chitoge and friends from rushing over the the side of the pool. She was about to jump into the pool at full speed when two people emerge from the middle. The lifeguard, and a lifeless Raku Ichijou. They all gasp at the sight of his limp figure, barely being kept up by the other man.

"Medic! He was at the bottom of the pool! We need CPR now! Make way!" The lifeguard demanded as he set Raku on the poolside. Though the man was surprised when he saw a waterfall of blonde locks gather herself beside the drowned swimmer instead of a flock of white medics. He was too stunned at the sight to interrupt.

"Raku! Raku! Wake up, you stupid bean sprout!" Chitoge kept pumping at his chest.

One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four.

"Wake up damn it!" Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. She leans down to listen to his breathing. No sound. One more try.

One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four.

Chitoge leans down again. Still nothing. She pinches his nose and breathes into his mouth.

One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four.

She breathes into his mouth again. She pumps his chest more than four times. More and more. Still nothing.

"Raku Ichijou you're not allowed to die on me!" Chitoge gives his chest one powerful beatdown... and it makes him cough out the water. And it's the best sound she's heard all day. The spluttering coughs of her best friend.

"Ichijou-kun!"

"Raku!"

"Ichijou!"

"Raku Ichijou!"

Everyones voices started to fill the boy's now functioning ears. Although it still sounded like he was listening to a sonar. He could feel his chest burning up as he spit out the water. What the hell happened?

"Bean sprout!"

Raku heard her loud and clear. Felt her too. Engulfing his body in a tight hug, her arms firmly around him as he tried to regain his normal breathing rhythm.

"Your heart stopped," she said. "It stopped," she kept telling him and holding him tighter.

"It's working now," he managed to say to her, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.

"Raku! I had 5,000 yen on you. How could you lose, man?" Shuu whined as he squatted beside the fake couple.

"Yeah? Sorry about that. My legs started to freeze up halfway through," he explained.

"Your best friend almost died and all you were concerned about was your bet?" Ruri pointed out to Shuu. To which he just shrugged at. "I'm glad you're okay, Ichijou," she added.

"Me too. I'm glad Chitoge was able to resuscitate you!" Onodera said shyly. To which Raku nodded gratefully.

"I'm sorry to cut this reunion short but I think we need to see if he still needs medical attention. So if you all could-"

"I'm fine," Raku hurriedly said. "Really, officer. I am fine."

"But we still need to check up on you. To be sure. With the way your girl woke you up, we're afraid you might've broken a few ribs," the medic explained. Something Raku couldn't exactly reason with.

"Alright," he sighed. "Honey, you need to let go. You're already wet and the medics said they need to check my ribs," Raku prodded Chitoge's dormant figure. She reluctantly lets go, her face almost as red as his.

"Thank you for um, saving me," he tells her.

"I'm glad you didn't die, you stupid bean sprout!" Chitoge yells at him before running out of the swimming area. Something that surprises only Raku.

"Let her go, Raku. She's probably still flustered about the kiss," Shuu motions to his lips.

The medics start getting him on a stretcher, knowing smiles on their faces. "What kiss?" Raku asks, confused.

"Ah, you probably don't remember. She gave you CPR. Life kiss and all," one of the medics chuckled at him. Causing him to blush madly.

"She-she what?"

"She kissed you."

"Enough teasing the patient. You can all pick him up after preliminary check ups at the hospital. Make way for the stretcher people," the lifeguard announced to the crowd. The crowd that gushed about the not so romantic but still kinda romantic kiss as Ichijou was carried away.

Chitoge didn't talk to him for days after that. Whenever they saw each other, she would turn around and run away. The girl didn't even go to the hospital to see him after his check up. No broken ribs. Just a lot of rest from now on. Doctor's orders. He was getting tired of seeing Chitoge run away from him all the time. Truthfully, he missed her presence, albeit loud and troublesome, in his life. And he had to thank her properly for saving his life.

"Chitoge!" He sneaks up on her and grabs her arms. "Stop. Running. Away. Damn it," he gives her a slightly angry look.

"I'll do whatever I want, you stupid bean sprout!" She starts to turn around.

"Thank you for saving my life."

Chitoge stops in her tracks.

"They told me everything. How you tried. How you cried. The kiss. I'm grateful for all of that. I'm grateful for my best friend, and I wish she'd stop avoiding me. I even kinda miss her loud presence in my life," he chuckles a bit at the last sentence.

"You're not mad?" Chitoge asked, looking at everything but him.

"Why would I be mad?"

"I stole your first kiss."

"My first- oh. Well, uh, no. I guess not. It saved me after all. I'm sorry I stole yours, unintentionally."

"How are you so sure that you were my first?" Chitoge looked up, slightly flustered and annoyed.

"Oh come on, who would want to kiss a gorilla like you?" Raku egged her on on purpose. Just so she could brush off everything that happened and go back to being themselves around each other again.

"I'll have you know that you're not my first!" Chitoge lied.

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

They both ended up in detention after screaming too much in the corridor. Both of them laughing as the walked home together right after. A silent promise to not speak of where their relationship now stands. Because they were content with what they were at the moment. No use complicating things with a kiss.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Not sure if this is kinda OC. Probably is. Sorry about that. Healthy criticism is always welcome and helpful. Thank you for the lovely reviews! Will post one again soon for being dormant for a while. Thanks! God speed!


	16. 17-Year Old Wine

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Drinking tea under the stars with Shuu Maiko. That was Raku's idea of a good night out. Yes, it sounds too traditional, boring even. And so, leave it to Shuu Maiko to bring a bottle of 17-year old wine to mix things up a bit.

"What? Where did you even get that?" Raku asks, eyeing the bottle suspiciously. His best friend's methods of acquisition weren't exactly, normal, sometimes.

"Relax, it's a gift from my uncle. The locksmith, remember him?" The blonde explains, an innocent smile on his face.

"Why would a locksmith have a 17-year old bottle of wine?" The Yakuza heir points out, "You stole it, didn't you?"

"Wine collecting is a hobby of his. Will you just relax and open the bottle? We're not doing anything illegal here," Shuu says as he tosses the bottle over to a doubtful Raku.

"Fine," Raku catches it and pulls out the cork, "but if we get arrested for theft, I'm blaming you."

"That's fine with me. I'll just call Marika and get us released."

"Talk about connections," Raku sighs as he pours the wine. Just a bit in each glass. He still had a long walk home.

"So, how's the life of a civil servant?" Maiko asks, genuinely curious.

"It's fine. But I'm a bit bored, to be honest."

"Oh hoho, bored enough to go run the Yakuza?" Shuu gives Raku a suggestive look.

"No, you idiot," he flicks Shuu's forehead. "Just bored enough to consider law school," Raku concludes with a sip of his wine.

"Law school? I have a feeling boredom isn't the only reason."

"I want to be worthy of Chitoge. I need to be. I can't just let her settle with a simple guy like me," Raku admits, a sad smile on his face.

"Then you're wasting your time. You could be as lame as Claude and she'd still choose you over all those lawyer types. Or any type, for that matter. But you know, if you really want to go, I'll support you all the way."

"Thanks, man. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

That and other mundane topics popped up for the rest of the night. By 2AM, Raku was well out of it and semi passed out. Shuu had to carry the yakuza heir all the way back to the inn he and Chitoge stayed at.

His knocks were immediately answered by a bored blonde. "Shuu! What the, what happened to Raku?" Chitoge asks, helping the male blonde bring Raku over to the couch.

"Might have drank more than he could handle. He's a bit out of it," Shuu explains.

"Oh, thank you for bringing him here," Chitoge smiles at him. "Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you Chitoge-chan, but I really have to go. I have work tomorrow. And you might want to change his clothes. We might've spilled some stuff on it," he says shyly.

"Okay, thanks again!" They wave at each other as Shuu exits the room with a click of the door lock.

"Alright, bean sprout. You need to put on a new shirt. This one smells like miso soup, for some reason," Chitoge chuckles a bit at the thought.

When she starts to lift his shirt up, Raku suddenly grips her wrist to stop her. "Please, don't," he pleads, half awake. "I have a girlfriend, please don't," he repeats.

A blush suddenly creeps up Chitoge's cheeks. They were in a rather suggestive position. Her straddling him and taking off his shirt. But that's not what made her heart flutter.

Drunk and helpless, Raku still remembers her. Remembers that everything about him is only for her. "Stupid bean sprout," she smiles fondly at him, "I am your girlfriend."

"Really? But you're so beautiful and sexy and your blue eyes make me want to drown in them. How could a girl like you be my girlfriend?" He says between alternating degrees of consciousness.

"You'd be surprised," Chitoge leans in, Raku tenses up a bit and backs away.

"Please, don't. You're not-"

"Okay," she sighs. "Just change on your own and go to sleep," Chitoge relents. Sad at his response. "Tomorrow you'll see your girlfriend," she stands up and walks toward the other room.

"If it's any consolation," Raku holds onto her wrist, "if you were my girlfriend, I'd feel like the luckiest guy on earth," he smiles from ear to ear. And Chitoge just nods with a smile of her own.

She can't wait to tell Raku how sweet he is when he's drunk. Although he did forget who she was.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! This was inspired by a scene in Descendants of The Sun. Lol go watch it if you like soldiers and doctors and stuff. I'm going on vacation and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write much there so, yeah. Til' next time! Healthy criticism please. Thanks for all the reviews! All of them were noted. Will try to improve. Thanks again. God speed!


	17. Jelly

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Summers and winter vacations are like the holy grail for high school students. Any student, really. That's why Raku went out of his way to actually plan a trip for this year's winter loving. Weekends at the Onsen were always a good idea, right?

Only to be cancelled before he can eve discuss it with the gang. Apparently, Chitoge had a visitor coming from the US. Coincidentally, she wouldn't be able to go pretty much anywhere while the guy was here. What kind of non-relative visits during Christmas season? A suitor, that's what.

Stupid suitor. Ruining his perfect plans. All he wanted was a relaxing weekend with his friends, somewhere far away. Chitoge even looked happy when she told him about the upcoming visit. A white Christmas with a potential love rival. He's starting to sound like Juvia. Brilliant.

Raku went along with everything Chitoge and the guy wanted to do for those two weeks. Two weeks of seeing someone else make her smile and laugh and giggle and do crazy things with. Whether it was to tag along on their dates, who does that? Or to go out with the gang, the gang part was okay. But to third wheel? Really? It was frustrating, and he expertly hid it all behind a smile. He's starting to become quite the actor.

Have I mentioned that the guy third wheeled on their date? Correction, he made Raku look like the third wheel. The yakuza heir tried to fight it but, Chitoge seemed happier with the other guy. So, he made up an excuse and left.

It takes a while before the blonde notices this pattern. They go out, Raku makes up an excuse, he leaves them. Rinse and repeat. What was wrong with that bean sprout?

"What are you doing?" Raku's father asks as he enters the dojo.

"Training," he replies.

"With a bamboo sword? With multiple broken bamboo swords and a beat up target pole?"

His father wasn't exaggerating. There were multiple broken bamboo swords strewn all over the dojo, many broken poles and pieces of wood, and a lot of bandages all over the place.

"Yes, with everything you just said. I thought you wanted me to learn how to use a weapon?" Raku asks the old man.

"I do, but this isn't learning. This is venting," the yakuza boss points out.

"Fine, I'll stop. Happy?" Raku raises his hands in defeat, facing his father.

"Chitoge's waiting in the living room. Don't keep her waiting," his father instructs him.

"What? Why? I don-"

"Go," his father smiles at him knowingly.

"Yes, father." Raku could've sworn that the old man could read his mind. Parents were like psychics sometimes. It was scary.

He ran to the living room, not even stopping to fix his hair before approaching his blonde girlfriend. "Chitoge, did I forget about a date or something?"

"Bean sprout!" The heiress turns to look at him. "You didn't, actually, I wanted to ask if you would like to go on one now?" She asks.

Not exactly out of character, but isn't she supposed be tied at the hip with Takeshi? The suitor guy.

"Where's Takeshi?" Raku eyes the room suspiciously.

"He left. Last night," Chitoge answers without missing a beat.

"Yeah? Do I finally get my best friend back?" Raku voices out while plopping himself beside Chitoge.

"I never left."

"Says the girl who didn't even spend time alone with me over winter break."

"How am I the one at fault when you were the one who kept leaving?" She tells him.

"Would you stay if you weren't needed anymore?" He retaliates, slicking his hair back in frustration.

"Then you should've said something about it! You kept saying you were okay every time I asked you before!"

"I said I was okay because you were so happy! I didn't want to ruin that," he mutters begrudgingly. There was no denying that he was right. She was happy with the other guy. She was just... screw it. "Let's go on a date. Let me just take a quick shower first," Raku suddenly says as he stands up and leaves. A confused Chitoge in his wake.

She was happy? It kept replaying in her head, "because you were so happy!"

Ah. Now she gets it. He was jealous. Understandably so. She felt guilty, not having time for him these past two weeks, but she didn't mean to. Chitoge just had to attend to her guest. After all, Takeshi was her best friend before Raku came into her life. And Takeshi was bisexual for goodness' sake! Why would he be jealous? Stupid bean sprout.

Stupid Takeshi and his stupid funny demeanor and good posture and green eyes and brown hair. Did she have to have friends that were so much more good looking than him? Raku took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed. Hesitating a bit before slicking his hair back with some gel. He only did that for formal events and when he was wearing suits and stuff, but what the hell. He wasn't gonna lose to some stupid brunette.

Even though the guy had already left.

"Chitoge?" He calls out to her as he reaches the living room. But she's not there. The next thing he knows, he's running around the house and finds her in the least put together room of all. The dojo.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" He asks carefully.

"Did you do this?"

"I was training. Well, venting but-"

"Why? Because of me? You were this angry and you didn't tell me?" She turns around to see him, a hurt look in her eyes.

"You didn't need to know," he tells her.

"Of course I needed to know! You're my boyfriend, I deserved to know!"

"Deserved to know how pathetic I was with jealousy?"

"So you were jealous," Chitoge tries to hold back the laughter, utterly failing.

"Please, continue laughing. I'm not offended at all," Raku drawls.

"Bean sprout, Takeshi is bisexual. He has a boyfriend in the states. Didn't I tell you that?" Chitoge tells him.

"He's what? But you said he was a suitor!"

"He was, when we were in the states, fixed marriage and all. But he came out when I asked him to be honest with me. So he's not really someone you should be jealous about," Chitoge reassures him with a sweet smile. The kind of smile thay just renders Raku speechless. The kind that makes him complain how unfair it is that she can render him speechless with just that simple act of sweetness.

"I'm sorry," he looks away in embarrassment.

"I think you should be saying that to all these bamboo swords. Really, bean sprout, this dojo's a mess," Chitoge gestures around.

He fell in love with such a weird girl. More concerned about the scattered pieces of wood than anything. For some reason, he can't make himself look at her. Not when he did something so stupid. But at least he has finally been able to breathe properly. Takeshi wasn't a threat after all. If any, they probably would have been great friends if he just sucked it all up and asked. Stupid Raku.

He only just noticed that Chitoge walked forward and was now right in front of him.

"And don't ever say that I don't need you, I always do," Chitoge tells him as she pats his cheeks lightly. "Always, Raku."

Raku gives her a melancholic smile before he leans in and kisses her on the lips. Fiercely. Hungrily. Yearningly. Like he hasn't seen her in weeks, which technically he didn't in a way.

And she reciprocates, but sweetly, tenderly, softly. Balancing out his brashness. Because that's what they do, they complement each other's traits better than anyone else could.

The two begrudgingly separate as they run out of oxygen, neither of them willing to let go of each other's hold. Arms around each other tightly.

"Always?" Raku teases her.

"Always," she laughs at his shit eating grin.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for reading! Sorry for the kinda late update. Will improve based on your critics! Thanks again! God speed!


	18. Drabbles

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

 **A/N:** Mind the divisions.

* * *

"Honey?"

"Hm?"

"You're staring at my lips," Raku points out, said lips smirking as he does so. "My eyes, are up here," he tells her.

"Wha- I wasn't- err..." Her current complexion rivals that of a tomato. Her eyes looking at everything but his.

"'Course you were," Raku grins at her before leaning in and giving her what she's obviously been yearning for. All she really had to do was ask. He'd gladly comply. Like he was doing right now.

* * *

"Hey, bean sprout."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me a secret," she says to him.

"I don't have any," he answers, not even looking up from his manga.

"Everyone has secrets!" Chitoge says as she wriggles around on the couch, looking straight up at him with her head on his lap.

"Stop being so annoying."

"Not even one?"

"Nope."

"But that's impossible! Are you even hu-"

He silences her with a finger to her mouth. A sigh escaping his lips as he closes his manga.

"I secretly like it when you wear your hair in a ponytail. There. Happy?" He gives up and tells her, much to his chagrin. One more thing for Chitoge to have in her arsenal. Great.

"You do?"

"Yep."

"Really?" She gets up to sit down on the other side of the couch.

"I just answered that," he says, looking away to hide his bashful face. He opens his manga again and hopes Chitoge has given up on the subject at hand. She didn't.

"Hey, Raku," she calls out to him.

"What now, gori-" he looks up and stops mid-word. His face now sporting a crimson color. Ugh.

"Like this?" She teases him, her hair now up in a ponytail. Damn you, ponytail fetish.

* * *

"Whose coat is that?"

"It's Takeru's. He lent it to me when I told him my legs were getting cold," Chitoge tells him as she continues to fold the paper cranes.

A blast of cold air suddenly blows on her legs again as Raku takes the coat off of her.

"What the hell, bean sprout? It's cold! Get your own!"

Said bean sprout promptly takes off his jacket and lays it over her legs. Takeru's coat neatly draped over his shoulder.

"Better?" He asks her.

"Y- yeah. Um, thanks. I guess," she tells him. Warmer too, she notes.

Like hell was he gonna let some Takeru guy cozy up to his girlfriend.

* * *

"Is that you?"

"Of course it is."

"But your hair's short!" Shu tries hard not to laugh.

"Last time I checked, getting a haircut wasn't illegal," Raku tells him. A bit annoyed with his best friend's reaction. Talk about moral support.

"But why though?" Shu asks, finally calming down.

"Bean sprout, can you g- wha- did you get a haircut?" Chitoge semi-asks and semi-splutters out. Her heart was skipping beats at the sight of new Raku. Literally.

"Do you like it?" Raku asks, hopeful for a positive answer.

"I'm conflicted," Chitoge answers, half impressed but half worried.

"You don't like it," Raku concludes. Losing all his confidence, he slumps down on the desk.

"N- no! I like it. I really do. It's just..." Chitoge fiddles with her hands as she looks away from him, blushing.

"Just?" He asks carefully.

"It's just that other girls will start noticing you now too. I uh, don't want them to," she sighs in defeat, still too embarrassed to look at him.

"Darling, I'm all yours. They can look all they want, but you already own me," he reassures Chitoge, patting her head lightly.

"Why'd you cut it anyway?"

"I just thought you'd like a bean sprout 2.0."

"Idiot."

"Ah, but I'm your idiot," he winks at her.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Chitoge says as she shoves a small paper bag into Raku's hands.

"What's this?" He raises an eyebrow at her.

"You're not getting a repeat of that," she tells him. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Geez, some apology that was."

"Just open the damn paper bag, bean sprout," she snaps at him.

The bean sprout concedes, his hand reaching into said bag while he gives Chitoge an odd look. He pulls out a smooth, rectangular box. It was a new phone.

"Since you know, I broke your last one," Chitoge adds, looking away from him to hide her blush. "It was your fault anyway. That fangirl texting i love you and-"

"I never replied," he interrupts her as he carefully opens the box.

"You what?"

"I never replied. You just didn't give me a chance to explain and threw my phone into the river," he tells her. A smile forms on his face when he successfully turns on his new phone. He walks over to her.

"You know, that phone had all my favorite pictures of us in it," Raku says a matter-of-factly.

"It did?" She asks, guilt seeping into her voice.

"It sure did," he says, quickly clicking the capture symbol and taking a picture of a flustered Chitoge. She tries to grab the new phone the second she notices.

"Careful, Honey. You wouldn't want to break this one," he grabs her hand and pulls her to his side. He messed with his phone a bit before showing her his new wallpaper.

A blushing, flustered, and shy Chitoge Kirisaki.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, hello. Thanks for reading! This was long overdue. I had a writer's block. I haven't really shaken it off yet. Barely managed to make this one. Sorry bout that. Sorry if Raku's a bit OC too. Anyway, thanks for the awesome reviews! More feedback would be helpful. Really. And go read the manga if you haven't already. Team Chitoge is almost canon. I can feel it. God speed!


	19. Whens

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.

 **A/N:** Set along the timeline of the last three chapters of the manga. Enjoy!

* * *

When he tells her he misses her loud presence in his life, her heart glides and she's very tempted to go back Japan to see him. Even if it was just for a hug. After all, it wasn't everyday that Raku let on how much he wanted to be by her side.

When they meet again for the first time in months, it's Raku's last high school summer vacation and Chitoge specifically asked for two weeks off of work so she can actually spend time with her non-pretend boyfriend. They've only been together for five days before she gets called back again, and Raku was as supportive as he ever was. Not getting mad, instead, supporting her more than ever before. It makes her heart melt.

When they see each other over Christmas break, they make it a point to spend every minute with each other. Even if it meant annoying the crap out of one another. They were going to make this relationship work.

When they have their first fight, Raku immediately flies to wherever she was just to apologize. Chitoge does the same thing. Funnily enough, their connecting flights had the same layover and they end up bumping into each other at the airport. They hug, their way of saying they're sorry.

When Chitoge brings up the old necklaces and the pendant, Raku absentmindedly tells her that it would be easier if maybe they used a new pendant and key for their engagement instead of traditional rings. It was pure slip of tongue and they both look like tomatoes the moment they realized that Raku technically proposed to her. Again. Chitoge tells him that he should really stop asking her to marry him by accident. He promises to do it right the next time around.

When Raku graduates, Chitoge surprises him by attending his graduation. Raku almost never got into any fights, not until Chitoge showed up at his university and many guys started ogling her. He had half a mind to set the Yakuza on them. Chitoge just laughed at the fact that her bean sprout was becoming quite possessive. Of course, she couldn't blame him, her line of work demanded that she looked nothing but perfect. Raku improvised by putting an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to his body. It made Chitoge giggle.

When Chitoge debuts as a fashion designer, Raku returns the favor and shows up to be her escort. Tuxedo, slicked back hair, asian aura and all. Everyone ogled him. It took all of Chitoge's professionalism not to set Tsugumi on them. My beansprout, she thought. Raku merely chuckled and kissed her cheek to calm her down. Hers indeed.

When they meet again, it's been a little over six months since they saw each other. Long distance relationships were hard, but they've been able to make it work up to this point. It was time to get married. Well, they sent out the invitations and planned the wedding before Raku even proposed but so what. They weren't your typical conventional couple. The moment he sees her on that plateau, he is speechless. She still looked the same. The beautiful, intelligent, talented, and amazing girl he fell in love with a few years ago; and yet he she still captivated him. He wouldn't change a thing. Which was why they were still elated when Raku officially proposed and Chitoge actually said yes. Zaxia in love.

When they first kissed, they both felt like jelly before anything even happened. They're both shy about it, but not reluctant. They're just not sure what goes where or how to move. Their teeth bump on their first try. They're too rigid on their second attempt. But the third time was an etherial moment.

Chitoge was kissing her beansprout, her Romeo, her Darling.

Raku was kissing his gorilla, his Juliet, his Darling.

When Raku and Chitoge asked for their parent's blessing, Hana and Adelt were more than happy to give it to them. So were Raku's parents. They didn't even really need to ask. But still, as a formality. It was worth it too, seeing Chitoge's face light up when Hana approved of Raku.

When they get married, well, you're gonna have to read the next chapter to find out.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, hello. A million apologies for not updating until not. I've been swamped with college and just wanted couldn't bring myself to write anything for a few months. And since Nisekoi was coming towards the end anyway, (such a hurried ending ugh) I decided to write after the last chapter. This is basically before the wedding and I'm gonna upload a wedding fic here and as a separate story. Thank you again for all your support. Team Chitoge ftw. Healthy criticism is always welcome. I keep writing for Raku and Chitoge until about chapter 25 or 50. Depends. Thanks for reading! God speed!


	20. 15 months before the wedding

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters of this story

 **A/N:** Be warned, this might have some typos. I'll refine it at a later date. I just wanted to show you that I am in fact still invested in this multi-chapter. Thank you for your continued support. This might be a little rough because I haven't written anything in ages.

* * *

 _15 months before the wedding._

Ten o'clock of October 19, 20XX found Chitoge Kirisaki standing outside the JFK airport, waiting for the arrival of her boyfriend, Raku Ichijou. Said blonde left the studio a bit earlier than usual to pick up her bean sprout. It wouldn't be his first time in the US, and she was sure he could find his way to her apartment on his own but, she missed him enough to actually pick him up at the airport. Of course, Chitoge would never admit to any of this out loud.

It wasn't a terribly scheduled flight or a particularly late one, at least not for her. After all, she only had to drive for the better part of an hour to reach JFK. Her bean sprout had to endure a 14-hour flight to reach the same destination.

Unsurprising to anyone, the two were able to make their relationship work. Special thanks to Skype and Facetime. They're now even making the necessary preparations for their wedding _—_ something that didn't surprise many people. Quite a few even wondered why they hadn't done it sooner.

Chitoge's eyes kept sweeping the arrival area for a messy purple mop of hair and white pins, but to no avail. She was sure she got the time and date right. She even double checked. The arrival board said that Raku's flight had in fact landed 20 minutes ago. He had to have gotten his luggage by now. Where was the stupid and apparently slow bean sprout?

Raku was never a big fan of sitting down for almost 14 hours in a pressurized cabin of air that was 40,000 feet above ground. No, not really. He was a fan of seeing his girlfriend though. It's been four months since they last saw each other in person and he was eager to see her again. Hear her voice and see her smile in person. Not on skype, facetime or wherever else. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone either. Except maybe Shuu and Chitoge herself on occasion, but definitely not on purpose.

The walking bean sprout wasn't in any particular hurry as he waited for his luggage to come around. He even helped out an old couple with their troublesome suitcase. And as much as he wanted to see Chitoge as soon as possible, he couldn't exactly leave his suitcase to fend for itself and hope it finds its way to Chitoge's apartment afterwards. Ironically enough, he was the last one to get his luggage even though he was the first one there. Meaning Chitoge was probably growing impatient. He would send her a quick text, but his phone died because he kept playing with it on the plane.

After a few more minutes of looking around, she finally saw him! Sticking out like a sore thumb the moment he joined the other arrivals, much thanks to his purple bed head. Anyone could tell that he was in a hurry with the way his eyes scanned the crowd, but only Chitoge knew why. The thought made her grin as she approached her bean sprout. Oh how tempted she was to tackle him into a bone-crushing hug.

He caught sight of her the moment she started walking. His gorilla really knew how to make her way through a crowd. People were ogling her left and right and all she was doing was walking. He couldn't blame them, specially since she tied her hair up like that. Just seeing her made the rest of his day. Well, what's left of it any way.

Raku had half a mind to hug her but decided against it since Chitoge didn't particularly like public displays of affection. Instead, he settled for a light pat on the head when they reached each other.

"Hi, Honey." he said with a warm smile.

"Hi, Darling. How was your flight?" she asked, averting her eyes, shy for some reason.

Raku couldn't help but chuckle a bit whenever they were like this. "Boring. Very boring. I'm sorry I took so long. My suitcase was the last one out," he told her as he took her hand in his and started to walk to the parking lot. Chitoge followed, blushing a bit at the sudden display of affection. She's not sure why she's shy all of a sudden or why her heart skipped a beat. It wasn't like it was their first time holding hands and it definitely wasn't due to the crowd that watched them like they were a movie scene. It had to be something else. They were almost outside when it hit her, she missed him, and that was all there is to it.

Chitoge squeezes his hand and gives him a playful smile when he looks at her, Raku does the same, and that's how they say they missed each other. No words needed. They wander around the parking lot until they get to Chitoge's car.

She didn't like driving all too much, but if you could afford it, it wouldn't be practical not to in this city. Her Mom wanted her to have a chauffeur but Chitoge said that she just wouldn't feel as free with someone always waiting on her. Her Dad wanted to give her one of his sports cars, but she reasoned that she didn't want _that_ much attention. So, she bought a Lexus. She figured that it would be enough for a rising fashion designer. Of course, Claude wouldn't let her use it until he had it bullet proofed, scratch proofed, theft proofed and any other kind of proofing he could think of.

"Should I drive? You look tired from work," Raku asked as he loaded his luggage into the back.

"Says the guy who just got off a 14-hour flight?" Chitoge looked at him through the rear view mirror. "Wait, do you even have a license?" She asked as an afterthought.

"The last one I got hasn't expired yet, I think." Raku got into the passenger seat. "Anyway, our appointments don't start until tomorrow, right?" He asked.

"Mhm," she hummed as she drove away from the airport. "I'd say let's get your bags to my place first but I'm hungry, and you're treating me to dinner because you took so long to get your bag."

"It wasn't my fault it was the last one they loaded off!" He tried to reason. "But I guess that's fair since I did make you wait a while." He conceded.

Chitoge gives him a triumphant grin as she makes a left. "Bean sprout, what time is it?"

"5 minutes before 11," Raku answered.

"Hmm. It's not like we have an early appointment tomorrow." Chitoge thought aloud.

This piece of information prompted an idea in Raku's mind.

"Rooftop Bar?"

"Rooftop Bar."

And on they went, almost like a fairy tail. If the prince and princess argued about getting lost, what to order and who was to actually pay for the meal. Even so, their little date brought grins to their faces more than any peaceful date would have.

After all, it wouldn't be Raku and Chitoge if they didn't disagree about at least three things for the whole night.

The couple arrived at Chitoge's flat well past midnight and yet Raku showed no signs of being tired. Much to a certain blonde's dismay.

"Bean sprout, do you want to shower first or should I?"

"Go ahead. I'll shower later. Need to call Shuu first." He told her as he turned on his now fully charged phone.

"Okay. Say Hi to Shuu and Ruri for me!" Chitoge told him as she entered the bathroom. He nodded, not that she saw it.

* * *

"Hello? Hey, man. I just arrived a few hours ago." Raku said as he leaned back on the balcony overlooking the semi-bustling city.

"Good to hear, how's the married life going?" Shuu asked.

"We're not married yet!" Raku said with a semi-annoyed voice. He should be used to this but for some reason he isn't.

"Just kidding." Maiko laughed at him. "Well, spit it out. What's wrong? Cause I doubt you called me just to say you landed a few hours ago."

Raku was a bit surprised that Shuu knew that there was something bothering him, but then again, this was Shuu he was talking to. Long time best friend and confidante. "I- I missed her a lot and I don't know how to show it. That's the simplest way to put it I guess." He sighed as he gazed at the stars.

"Can you repeat that? I need to record it in case I need to blackmail you in the future and-"

"Shuu!" Raku practically yelled into the phone.

"Right. Sorry. Well, let's start with the things you have thought of doing to show her that you missed her. Tell me everything my vegetable friend."

Raku swore he could hear Shuu smile as he said those words. "Hug her for one thing. Actually tell her that I missed her but in a way that doesn't sound pathetic." Raku said.

"Well, both of those options seem like they'd do just fine. Although I do have another option for you to consider. Just-"

"Stop right there. I don't want to hear anymore if it's anything perverted. Shuu, I swear to-"

"Ichijou?" A new voice spoke.

"Ruri?" He asked.

"I apologize for Maiko, he just misses teasing you in person." She told him.

"I understand. Chitoge told me to tell you Hi for her." Raku said, a light laugh coming out of him.

"Please say Hi back for me. Before I leave Ichojou-kun, please know that if you're worrying like this, then Chitoge probably is as well. And you won't know whether a hug will work until you try it. I overheard everything because Maiko was on speaker mode." Ruri explained.

This particular situation made Raku really laugh. Of course Ruri would save the day when Shuu was particularly in the mood for teasing. Thank goodness God put them together.

"Thank you for the advise, Ruri-chan. Please smack Shuu for me and tell him I'll call again tomorrow. I'll tell Chitoge you said Hi." He smiled at the thought. No doubt that Ruri will do as he asked.

When Chitoge got out of the shower, bless whoever invented showers, she saw Raku just starting to unpack his suitcase. More than half of it seemed like food than clothes. She wonders if maybe he brought it for her since she didn't have much time to look for any authentic Japanese food here in the US.

"Your drawer from last time is still empty. You can put your stuff there." She told him.

Raku didn't seem to hear her as he draped a towel over his shoulder and rummaged through his things. "Aha! I knew I brought some."

"Brought what?" Chitoge asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Here you go, Honey. Your favorite sweets from Japan." He tossed it to her with a smile on his face.

She caught like it was second nature. "Are you trying to make me fat?" She asked, giving him a suspicious look.

He ignored her comment as he walked to the bathroom. "You're welcome. Don't eat it all in one go." He teased.

Chitoge sighed. Being a fashion designer meant keeping her figure and Raku wasn't helping at all. His efforts of being sweet were a bit to literal, but that didn't mean that her heart fluttered any less. She never even told him about her favorite sweets. Let alone ask him to bring some. He must've just noticed it at some point.

Her bean sprout really was the best when it came to the little things about her.

It didn't take long for her train of thought to stop, thanks to a certain someones vibrating phone. Who in the world would call in the middle of the night?

"Hello?" The voice said. Marika, apparently.

"Marika, Ichijou's in the shower." Chitoge told her.

"Chitoge-chan! How is the married life going? I take it you-"

"We're not married yet!" She quickly told her, a form of panic and annoyance present in her voice. Although she wasn't sure why that was.

"I was only joking, Chitoge-chan. What's got you all worked up?" Marika's voice was a mix of teasing and something that resembled comfort. Oddly enough, she was used to it.

Chitoge sighed. "It's just a little awkward. It's always a bit like this when we see each other after a long time." She told her.

"Well, of course you're awkward. With all that pent up sexual tension and the stress of building your own respective careers." Marika explained.

"We don't have any pent up sexual tension!" Chitoge denied, her face going red.

"Of course you do. Well, maybe not sexual. Just, when's the last time you hugged or sat down side by side to do nothing?"

If Chitoge knew that Marika was this helpful, she'd call her all the time. "Four months ago," she answered.

"Well, there you go. The awkwardness should go away once you get familiar with each other again."

"You sound like an all knowing love guru." Chitoge told her, laughing a bit at the thought.

"Well someone has to be."

If smiles could be heard over the phone, then Marika was definitely smiling. At least, in Chitoge's mind. "Thanks, Marika. Anyway, is there anything you need me to tell Raku?" She smiled and suddenly remembered.

"Please tell him that I expect him to get everything on the list I gave him. Please don't let him mess it up, Chitoge-chan," the girls pleaded.

"I will," Chitoge laughed, "and thanks again, Marika." She smiled.

"You're welcome. Don't forget to use protection!" The orange headed girl quickly teased before ending the call.

"Marika!" Chitoge's face was red as a tomato at the thought.

"She called?" Raku asked as he stepped out of the shower. Dressed and ready for sleep.

"She told me to remind you about the list of things she wants you to buy for her," Chitoge told him without turning around to face him. She had to get her blush under control first.

"Good thing she reminded me. I almost forgot." He said as he fixed his luggage some more. "Chitoge? Where's the futon I used to sleep on?" He asked as he looked around.

"It's ah, in the closet." She told him. "But don't bother getting it. My bed's big enough for the two of us," she added without thinking. "Just don't do anything perverted!"

"I'd only do that if I wanted to die early, and we don't have to share if you don't want to. I'm used to the futon." He said as he walked towards the closet. Raku smiled as if to say it's okay. This arrangement was okay. He wouldn't do anything that would make her feel uncomfortable.

"But I want us to share the bed," Chitoge blurted out. She looked him in the eye and said, "it's not like we haven't slept next to each other a dozen times before," before looking away again.

Raku was a bit surprised, but it was the good kind of surprise. "Alright," he told her, "but you go on ahead. I still have to call my Mom." He couldn't look at her because he was nervous as hell for some reason.

"Raku, it's the middle of the night where she is right now. Do you really want to wake her up now?" Chitoge reminded him. She mentally slapped herself because she was starting to sound a bit desperate.

"Good point. I'll call her tomorrow," he said as he carefully walked towards the bed. "Scoot over, Honey. The sleep's starting to take over." She obliged and he yawned as he got into the covers with her.

"Hey, Raku."

"Hm?"

He was fixing his pillow when he felt Chitoge hug him. Her arms around his body and her head on his chest.

"I'm glad you're here. I really missed you." She told him without looking because she refused to let him see her blush. Chitoge didn't even know why she did what she did, but that didn't matter. Because the moment she felt him reciprocate meant everything was okay.

"I- yeah. I mean, I missed you too. A lot." He tried to relax. He hoped that she didn't feel how fast his heart was beating at that moment. What he'd give to stay like this forever.

Raku ran his hand through her golden locks and willed himself to relax. If that was at all possible. He really did miss her. He missed these moments in particular. He smiled a sad smile when he remembered that they'd have to be separated again at some point.

"I love you." They said at the same time.

The surprised looks they see on each other's face was enough elicit a string of laughter from them. The awkward bubble was finally popped.

Once Chitoge fell asleep, Raku tried to move her into a more comfortable position, but she didn't budge. So, he continued with his ministrations until sleep finally overcame him too.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, hello. I know I haven't updated in forever, and I'm sorry. I was trying to actually study and be a responsible student. Truth be told, I've wanted to come back here for a long time, I just couldn't write anymore. You might've noticed with how bumpy this chapter is. Anyway, I know I said I'd make it a wedding, but it turned out to be something else. Like a prequel of some sort. I'll get to the wedding part. Eventually. This was actually supposed to be a compilation of shorts before the wedding, but then it blew up into this long chapter. I guess this is just practice, and I need your input. Are Raku and Chitoge too OOC? Are there parts that you think didn't fit the characters? Please tell me. It'll help me improve a lot and really get back to writing. I feel kinda rusty, to be honest. As always, thanks for reading! God speed!


	21. Good Morning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.**

* * *

Raku wondered if he was a morning person. Either that or he just loved his men enough to cook breakfast for them everyday. Waking up early to cook for a house of Yakuza members was no light task. How are they faring without him? Hopefully his kitchen wasn't in too bad of a situation.

In any case, Raku knew he didn't need to be a morning person to know that he loved mornings with Chitoge. When they first met, he never would've thought they'd end up like this. He's glad they did. He never knew he could fall in love this hard, as cheesy as that sounded.

It wasn't that early in the morning, just around 7AM when he woke up. The jet lag will probably last for a few more days. Chitoge was still out cold, probably because this was her first day off in weeks, according to Tsugumi. She apparently worked double time so she wouldn't be behind on any work even with him here. His Honey was working too hard.

Raku doesn't have it in him to move away from her gentle vice grip. Well, he tried actually, but then remembered that it'd be wiser to stay still. He'd just have to cook breakfast later.

So, he busied himself with running his fingers through her hair. Brushing her bangs to the side, tracing her face, looking at her lips. If only he could kiss her without signing a death sentence for himself. He wouldn't put it past Chitoge to see it as a perverted act rather than an innocent one if he did it at that moment.

Just as he was tracing the outline of her eyes, they flutter open. If Raku hadn't known Chitoge, he would've described it as almost angelic. She loosened her hold on him as she stretched and yawned and practically took over the whole bed.

"You slept like a rock." He said.

"Good morning to you too, Bean Sprout. You weren't staring at me while I slept, were you?," she asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"And why would I do that?" He asked in a lazy tone.

"Because you missed my beauty and just want to stare at me all day." She said seriously.

They stared each other down until neither of them could keep it up and blew up in laughter. Raku decided that these were the kind of mornings he liked best. Chitoge thought the same and quickly pushed away the thought of him having to leave her again after a while, she just wanted to enjoy the moment.

They stay in bed as their laughter died down, holding hands and staring at the suddenly interesting ceiling. "I wish all our mornings were like this." Chitoge said, squeezing Raku's hand.

"Just 15 more months. Compared to the years we've waited, it's not as long anymore." Raku told her.

"Mhm." Chitoge hummed, seemingly unconvinced. 15 months was still a long time.

"Unless you want to marry me right now. We are in America. There should be an officiator here somewhere. What do you say, Honey?" Raku joked as he lay on his side to show her his playful smile.

"Are you seriously proposing to me right now?" Chitoge lay on her side to look at him as well. She was playing along.

"Maybe." Raku said as he brushed away the wisps of hair on her face.

"I'm tempted, but they'd kill you if we got married without them. Them being my family and yours." Chitoge told him as she snuggled into his warmth. He smelled like home.

"Why would I be the only one getting killed? That's unfair." He put his arms around her.

"Because they love me too much to kill me." She looks up to give him a smug but endearing smile. "So let's wait 15 more months because I need you alive more than I need you to be my husband now." She blushed the moment she finished her sentence. Chitoge had no idea where the hell those words suddenly came from but my goodness, were they cheesy.

"Fifteen more months it is then." Raku said as he gave Chitoge a light kiss on the forehead. "So, what're we doing for today?" He asked.

"Well, at 10 I have to go at the office to take care of something for a bit. It might take an hour or two so you might want to just wait here for me to pick you up." Chitoge said as she reached for her phone to look at their appointments. Busy days ahead. Truly.

"Can't I just wait for you there? You'd be wasting gas to come back for me." Raku suggested as he watched her twiddle with her phone.

"I can't work with you there. Plus, everyone will keep asking me about you and that'll delay everything even more."

"Fair enough, but you don't have to come back for me. I'll meet you there." He said as he stretched.

"Sure you won't get lost?" She asked him.

"I'm sure. Now go get ready, I'll make breakfast for us. Any requests?" He stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"Anything with crispy bacon with or in it." Chitoge said as she stood up. She felt rather cold not having him by her side. "Don't you dare peek at me, Raku Ichijou!" She told him as an afterthought and gave him a quick glare before starting to prepare herself for the day.

"I'm not a pervert you know, and bacon it is."

* * *

 **A/N:** It's a bit short, sorry about that. I really am trying. I'm sorry for any typos; feel free to point them out to me. All the reviews for the last chapter were lovely. I just miss this pairing and wish there more new fics for them. I'm glad we had another manga chapter where we see their kid. I just wish we saw them as a real couple. A real, engaged, married, and waiting for a baby kind of couple. I guess that's why I'm trying to write this. Thank you for the support. Hopefully, I'll put up the next chapter soon. God speed!


	22. Excursions (Prologue)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Nisekoi or any of the characters in this story.**

* * *

As Raku paid the florist, he remembered the first time he ever bought a bouquet from this flower shop. It was when he was planning to propose to Chitoge. That seemed like a long time ago, but in reality, only about a year has passed.

* * *

 _One Year Ago_

"How about this one? Or this one? So shiny! This one looks really expensive though," said a very enthusiastic Shuu as he helped Raku look for an engagement ring for a certain blonde.

"I brought you along to help me look for one she'd like, not suggest every other ring you see," Raku reminded him as he scanned the custom designs.

"I am helping you. Every ring I show you that you reject is a ring closer to the one you're actually going to get for our dear Chitoge. Your dear Chitoge, I mean." He said with a triumphant grin.

"This would be a lot easier if I actually knew what I was looking for," sighed a worn out Raku.

Looking for an engagement ring was hard. Annoyingly so. If he didn't love Chitoge so much, he'd settle for the first silver band he saw. But his blonde gorilla definitely, definitely deserved more than that.

Three shops. You'd have thought he'd have actually found _the one_ by now. No such luck. None. Nada. Nyet. Zip.

"Have you ever thought of a customized ring?" Shuu asked, a smile on his face as he thought of how he'd actually be like when he buys a ring for Ruri.

"I have, but I can't think of a design that she'd like," Raku said. 'Think' was an understatement. He almost quite literally jumped into the rabbit hole of online jewelry shops and real ones.

"How about a bean sprout?"

"That's-"

"No, listen! She loves calling you a bean sprout, she'd love it!" Shuu insisted, happy with his idea.

"Shuu, I was gonna say that that's a great idea, but I think it would be better to have 'bean sprout' and 'gorilla' etched into the wedding rings right beside our real names." Raku admitted, a bit shy about said fact.

This took Shuu by surprise. The etched nicknames part, not the wedding rings part. Well, of course Raku would have already thought of that. Shuu started laughing when what Raku said actually sunk in. 'Gorilla' wasn't exactly that endearing of a term but then again, this was their wedding. His smile became mischievous as he calmed down and said the next few words.

"Wedding rings?" Shuu raised his eyebrows teasingly at the Yakuza heir. "Raku, my friend, you haven't even proposed yet."

"Yeah yeah. I'm getting ahead of myself. I know. I just-"

And he was. He very well knew he was getting ahead of himself. But ordering the wedding rings were so much more simple than buying the engagement ring. Notwithstanding the fact that Chitoge had to agree to all of this first before anything really became official but still. When he saw the two gold bands as he walked towards her apartment a few weeks ago, he just knew that it was time to ask her.

Two simple gold rings.

"Dibs on being the godfather," Shuu suddenly said, arms crossed and a triumphant grin on his face.

"What?"

"If you've thought of the wedding rings, then you've presumably thought of the future mini Rakus and Chitoges you'll have. I want to be the godfather," Shuu continued to tease him. The grin on his face was as innocent as a child's smile. He genuinely wanted to be the godfather.

That made Raku smile, and it eventually turned into a laugh, and then tears started to moisten his eyes.

"I actually haven't thought of that until now. Oh wow, I wonder what it would be like to raise a mini Chitoge? And of course you're going to be the godfather. You're gonna be my best man too and you're going to take care of my kids if I ever mess up. You'll be the best godfather ever!" Raku declared with scary confidence.

Enough to actually scare Shuu a bit about the future he was starting to imagine. The things he did for Raku. The things he _will do_ for him.

"Yeah? Then you'll be my babysitter too when me and Ruri have kids. And my best man."

"Deal." Although of course, that was already a given.

They ended up exiting that shop and looking at 4 others. It wasn't until after 2 more weeks that Raku found the perfect one.

The next thing he knows, the ring is in a box in his hand and he's walking towards her father's office. Which was going to be a bit difficult seeing as how the man was in America at the moment.

When he actually gets there, he was overjoyed to receive Adelt's blessing and the man was just as eager to give it to him. Here's hoping that Chitoge won't be too overwhelmed to at least nod her head. Who was he kidding? The gorilla woman was probably already waiting for him to propose.

He also went to see Chitoge's Mom. Getting an unplanned and unscheduled audience with Hannah Kirisaki was no small feat, which was why Raku was surprised when he was escorted to her office the moment he walked through the glass doors of the company. Their meeting went better than expected. He didn't really know what he expected but since he got her approval, that was that. Of course, she didn't need to tell him that he'd face damnation if he ever so much as looks bad at her daughter. Her one and only daughter. These women would be the death of him.

Raku then headed to Chitoge's so called studio. New York was really bustling, the environment seemed to fit Chitoge. He was really proud of her, for making it in the city of cities. Her gorilla really was something. Raku wasn't going to propose yet though, he just wanted to surprise his girlfriend since she didn't know he was coming at all. Hopefully, she wasn't too busy. Well, it wasn't like he was in any hurry. After all, he had purposely taken a 2-week leave to spend time with Chitoge.

Flower shops decorated every corner like they were telling him to get Chitoge some flowers. Raku finally decided to get her a simple bouquet. She'd probably laugh at him for being so cheesy, but at least she'll laugh. He walked into the lobby and straight into the elevator, bouquet in hand. After a few minutes of walking around, Raku had to admit that he was lost. Too many people and too many rooms. He didn't ask the receptionist because then they would probably give Chitoge a heads up and that would ruin the surprise.

He could call Tsugumi, but that would tip Chitoge off as well. Raku finally decided to just ask someone and get on with it. It wasn't like his English was bad per se. He just didn't practice it as often.

The helpful employee told him that she wasn't on this floor. Chitoge apparently just got promoted yesterday and was on the top floor. Give it to his gorilla to just be that good at anything she does. No wonder he couldn't find her on this floor. He trudged his way back to the elevator. His little adventure was about to come to an end. He was sure he remembered the directions clearly.

 _Turn right, then two left turns, go through the bustling crowd and voila, Chitoge should be right there._ At least, that what he thinks the employee told him.

The problem was, she wasn't there. It seemed that he really had to call Tsugumi or he'd never find her. Raku was just about to dial her number when he heard a certain someone's voice somewhere behind him. A voice he dearly missed. That was her voice, he just knew it! Only Chitoge's voice could make his heart beat this hard for some unknown reason. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it was kind of a good thing he did.

"If Ichijou went to your father without telling you, then he probably asked for his blessing to propose to you," Tsugumi told Chitoge.

"Tsugumi!" Chitoge was blushing.

"Ojou, we all know that it's not a matter of if he proposes. It's a matter of when he proposes, and I think he'll do it soon. Marika-san agrees with me on this. Ruri-san also told me how Raku has apparently dragged Shuu all around Tokyo to look for something. Knowing Ichijou, he was probably looking for engagement ring." They both laugh at the thought of Raku doing all that with a noisy Shuu right behind him at all times.

"I never imagined him proposing with a rin,g though. Not that I'm imagining him proposing to me at all," Chitoge quickly clarified. Lying really wasn't her thing. "I just think it would be more meaningful if he proposed with the pendant and key."

That was all Raku needed to hear. Why didn't he think of that sooner? The pendant and key would be perfect!

He texted Shuu.

 _New plan. Pendant and key for proposal. Ring for anniversary gift instead. Will explain more when I get back._

It was a bit cryptic, but Raku was confident that Shuu would get it. Right now, he just wanted to hug Chitoge. Nothing in that moment could have made him happier than all the things Chitoge just said. Nothing at all.

* * *

 **A/N:** Right. So I hope everyone liked this small flashback. This has been sitting in my doc manager for months now and I don't remember why I didn't publish it right away. I think maybe it's because it didn't fit with the story line at first, but it didn't seem to do that when I read it again a few minutes ago. Feel free to point it out to me if there are any loopholes in this flashback. Anyway, thank you for reading! Sorry if you were expecting another kind of chapter. I don't know when I'll be able to write the next one but I hope I'll do it soon. Summer's near so there's that. Any errors will be corrected in the future. Healthy criticism or just plain old pointing out of mistakes would be really helpful and will be highly appreciated. God speed!


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